Waves Upon the Sand
by musouka
Summary: A Digimon version of "The Little Mermaid". As faerie tales are wont to do, this takes place in a bit of a pseudo-medieval setting. Main couplings are as follows: Yamajyou and Yamara (Sorato), and one couple most likely never done before.
1. Notes

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> **Waves Upon the Sand -- Notes**   
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> Out of all my works, this is probably the title I'm most proud of. The coloring is supposed to be reminiscent of Jyou and Yamato (blue and gold), while also showing that love is ever changing. The waves meet the shore, but they never stay. 
> 
> Also, this is a retelling of "The Little Mermaid", and not the Disney version, I assure you. "The Little Mermaid" is one of my favorite stories by Hans Christian Anderson, but I wasn't content to just create a story by filling in Digimon character's names in the slots. A lot of the religious undertones have been deleted…not because they disturbed me or detracted from the original, but rather because they didn't fit the particular type of story I wanted to tell. The story goes more in depth than the original, and there are some parts added relating to mermaid mythology in general. 
> 
> Warnings are as follows; this is mainly a Yamajyou story, but there is some Yamara at the end. I have not made Sora-chan an evil character, but have tried to infuse her part with more depth than in the original story. It's too much of a cop-out, and besides, I like Sora-chan, even if Yamara isn't my favorite coupling. (close, but I still like Jyoura better! And Yamajyou is my all time fave!) I have no doubt that this story will probably not satisfy Yamara fans, but they are not the main audience I'm writing for. I'm sorry. ^_^;; 
> 
> See if you can guess who the merboy's sibling are! ::grin::


	2. Part One

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> **Waves Upon the Sand**
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> Once upon a time, there was a kingdom under the sea. "Kingdom" is probably a misleading word, because there was nothing equivalent to a monarchy ruling it, but in a story like this one it is best not to get bogged down in minor technicalities. Anyway, this kingdom was so beautiful the human mind can scarcely comprehend it. It resembled a palace made out of the finest lace, coiled to its pinnacle like a conch. It glowed with an ethereal beauty, not unlike the heavenly light of the moon on a clear crisp night. One could almost imagine the palace was calling to its soaring sister in the sky from beneath the dark waves. A garden of the finest seaweed wove in and out of the astonishing whiteness, providing a welcome contrast. 
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> What can live underneath the ocean, you ask? In a palace no less? Well, this particular place was inhabited by merpeople. Those with the tail of a fish and the torso of a human, a combination that would seem grotesque to most of us, but beneath the waves it was entirely different story. All of the citizens of this city-castle were so interesting that they really deserve their own stories, but perhaps that shall come another time. 
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> For now, our attention is upon one particular denizen… 
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> The only thing really remarkable about him was his singular ordinary-ness. He had an unfortunate tendency to get lost in his family of eight; his looks, while they would seem almost angelic in their beauty to the casual observer, were plain when compared to those of the rest of his family. Or so he assumed, and no one, except perhaps his youngest brother, ever tried to dissuade him of his notion. 
> 
> He had hair the color of a stormy sky building frightfully over the ocean, and eyes the color of the very depths of his watery home. His build was slender; the lines of his torso graceful in their simplistic beauty. 
> 
> Still, even one of his younger brothers with similar coloring had a sort of exotic appeal to his features—a slight slant to the eyes, transforming lovely into breathtaking. There was no way he could compare. Especially when one considered the other members of his family. 
> 
> The merboy's name would be impossible to pronounce in the human language. In the language of merpeople, it meant "the sound of the waves on a clear day". He would later be given a more humanly pronounceable name, but that will come in good time. Until then, "merboy" will do as well as any. 
> 
> *** 
> 
> It all started with the events surrounding his youngest brother's birthday. The tradition was to allow merpeople no younger than nine up to the surface of their world. For one thing, each child was counted upon as a blessing, and there were horrible gruesome stories told about what would happen if humans ever caught one of their race. Told by those who had seen it first hand. To have the tortures described actually happen to one of their children was even more unthinkable than it happening to an adult. 
> 
> Perhaps nine years old doesn't seem very adult-like to us, but it was also a time at which the young merperson's curiosity was at maximum, and rather than have them secretly sneaking up to the surface on their own, it was much safer to allow them to experience it and teach them the various safety measures that came with such awesome responsibility. 
> 
> It wasn't as if that was a real problem for the youngest member of the merboy's family, however. He tended to be quiet and shy, not unlike his older brother, in the first place. In fact, he was secretly looking upon his first jaunt up to the surface with something akin to dread, a similar feeling to how our merboy felt upon his first time. 
> 
> The two brothers were very close, often content to just be in each other's presence. They were looked upon fondly as a sort of curiosity by the rest of their adventurous family, but it could never be said that they were loved any less because of their shy natures. Misunderstood, yes; but not unloved. While their siblings were often exploring the caverns and passages of their immense world, the two brothers could often be found in the garden, happy just to drift in the warm currents and talk about their own discoveries and treasures found in the gardens. 
> 
> As it was, when his father grinned and asked him how he was looking forward to the evening, the merboy's brother gulped audibly before gathering the courage to request that his oldest brother be allowed to accompany him. His father arched on delicate eyebrow in vague confusion. It was tradition to have your first night all to yourself (in a specific place far away from danger, obviously). 
> 
> "Are you sure?" He finally replied, gazing at his youngest son. 
> 
> "Yes sir." The young merboy found it hard to look his father in the face, afraid he might see disappointment at son's choice of action. 
> 
> "Well, I suppose there's nothing wrong with wanting your brother with you, as long as he wants to go…" 
> 
> The boy felt like swimming a series of figure eights as he dashed off to ask his brother's permission, already sure of what the answer would be. He met his brother halfway out the entrance and nearly plowed him directly into a pillar by mistake. 
> 
> "What the hurry?" The merboy asked his younger brother, a teasing smile and impish glimmer in his dark eyes. His little brother's forest green eyes sparkled; finally he felt the proper excitement over his coming of age, now that there was no longer anything to fear. 
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> "Well, I wanted to know…if you would accompany me tonight…" The younger merboy said. His older brother smiled down at him softly. 
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> "Sure. I'd be more than happy to." He replied as they swam out from the promenade circled with columns. "I have the PERFECT place to go, too!" The merboy felt himself get caught up in his younger brother's excitement, and chuckled to himself; his brother was practically swimming in circles…just wait until he figured out there was nothing all that exciting about the surface world… 
> 
> *** 
> 
> "Good luck!" Came from one of the family members assembled that afternoon. The two exchanged a mirthful glance at a snatch of conversation between two of their other brothers below as they started their climb to the surface. 
> 
> "Why didn't he ask me to go…?" Asked their brother with the wild dark hair, it almost resembled a sea urchin. He seemed genuinely confused…not hurt exactly, but bewildered. Another brother, the one with the coloring similar to our merboy's, replied affectionately. 
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> "Knowing you? You'd probably end up leading them right into a fish net!" 
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> "Yeah…" Came an equally teasing rejoinder from the second-eldest brother of the group, who had a bit of a soft spot for the one getting teased. "But at least he'd be able to get them out again!" 
> 
> *** 
> 
> The light filtering through the water shifted as the two merboys made their trek upwards. Little flashes of silver engulfed them as they swam through a school of fish, causing the two to stop and gather them up in their hands as joyfully as one might run their fingers through a pile of coins, just to see them shine. 
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> But even that temptation couldn't distract them from their final destination. It would take them the better part of the afternoon to reach the surface, so they could either try to get there as fast as possible, or relax and enjoy the trip until they finally made it to the top at night. 
> 
> *** 
> 
> The two brothers stopped to relax on a rocky outcropping close to the surface, reclining almost languidly in the sea plants that cushioned the rocks. The swim had taken a lot out of them, despite their less-than-hurried pace, and for now they were content to watch the fish swim gracefully across their line of vision. 
> 
> "What is it like up there?" The younger of the two finally asked. The merboy paused, unsure of how to explain the concept of "dry" to someone who had spent their entire life completely submerged in the water. 
> 
> "Well," he began, "It's…different…" He paused to sigh in frustration. He couldn't really explain it. A fleeting memory of his first time to the surface appeared in his musings, but it would do to scare the poor boy. 
> 
> A merperson's body was quite different from that of a human. Well, beside, the obvious fact that the lower part of their body from the torso down ended in fins, the other part was in the upper portion of their body. Their lungs. Most sea creatures get their oxygen directly from the sea, utilizing gills. Then there are mammals that go to the surface to get air before diving back down. The merpeople did neither. They had a set of lungs that acted, in many ways, like gills to derive their oxygen from the water around them while they were in the ocean. However, when they were out of the ocean, their lungs compensated by removing the water from their lungs and becoming able to take oxygen from the air as well. 
> 
> In short, when they got to the surface, the first thing they did was throw up…in a matter of speaking. 
> 
> The first time, it was always a bit painful, and quite frightening, to have your body suddenly spasm and heave water out of your mouth. Often, your body would also rid its stomach of what contents might remain from your previous meal as well. 
> 
> The merboy knew his younger brother was the type to become overly anxious if he told him about that little part of his first time, so he wisely opted to say nothing at all. 
> 
> "You'll have to wait and see…" He finally responded to his little brother's questioning gaze. 
> 
> *** 
> 
> The two merboys' heads breached the surface of the water. His younger brother's eyes widened in fright as his body spasmed uncontrollably; the merboy rubbed his back consolingly as his body rid its lungs of the seawater. Finally, the younger of the two noticed his body had calmed down. He took a deep breath, observing the unfamiliar tickling sensation as air filled his lungs. 
> 
> He gazed at the alien landscape for the first time. Moonlight bathed the waves lovingly, casting a faint glow on both the water and the distant mountains. The boy considered this new world to be equal in beauty to anything he had seen beneath the waves. 
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> "Amazing…" His voice was surprisingly clear in the air, with none of the muted quality it carried under the ocean. He turned to regard his older brother, only to discover his attention riveted on a strange shape moving in the distance. His back was tense, and the younger boy felt a sharp needle of fear run through his spine. 
> 
> "Is…that a fishing boat?" He whispered, thinking somehow that saying its name out loud would be summon it to where the two of them swam. It took every nerve in his body to fight the urge to dive down and flee as fast as he could swim. Finally his brother relaxed. 
> 
> "No, it's not." He replied, his voice sounding unnaturally rich in the unfamiliar atmosphere. He turned to his younger brother with a smile that could only be termed mischievous; another look that was rarely seen on his eldest brother's face, though it would be quite at home on the second eldest… "Come on." And before the youngest could ask where, his brother had already started swimming towards the boat. 
> 
> The merboy himself almost laughed with delight as he recognized the type of boat in question. If his hunch was correct, then this first night would truly be something for his younger brother to remember. Once, in one of his admittedly few forays to the surface, he had ended up right next to a human boat. He had been utterly paralyzed with terror before his befuddled brain had figured out the ship had none of the characteristics so commonly associated with fishing vessels. Then he had heard the eerie whistle and the sky was suddenly awash in fire. He could do nothing more that swim there and partake in the dazzling colors that flooded his eyes. 
> 
> It had been something he had never shared with the other members of his family, instead preferring to keep the memory in a place close to his heart, to be inspected at his leisure. But now, if he could show his brother the same thing, he had a feeling it would make his night truly magical. 
> 
> *** 
> 
> The craft was not a large one, but it was stately, gliding across the water like a phantasmal specter. The only thing that cast off this illusion was the gentle breeze of music and laughter that poured off its upper deck like a slight mist. Strings of lights illuminated the ship and the merboy realized with a start that he was almost close enough to touch one of the barge's passengers should they lean over the edge. His little brother was a safe distance away, but the merboy himself was caught fast in something that clung tighter to him than any net. 
> 
> As if bewitched, he slowly raised his head past the edge of the ship, straining with his arms to get good leverage. Colors and lights assaulted his eyes until he thought he would go blind; the music had picked up to a whirlwind pace, and men and women were dancing, still laughing and murmuring low secrets to one another. He motioned with arm for his brother to come closer, nearly losing his precarious grip on the side. 
> 
> Just as he began to hoist his little brother up for a view, that familiar screeching sound filled the air, causing the younger merboy to fall back into the water with a frightened splash. Laughing, almost in a bell-like quality, the older motioned for his brother to watch the sky. The rockets shot high into the inky sky above the ship, only to explode in a plethora of colors. The younger's eyes widened in delight, and his brother laughed happily again. 
> 
> Until something caught his eye. 
> 
> In the half shadows of the lamps, he hadn't even noticed the lone figure. But while the sky was aflame, the human's light-colored hair caught the lights and reflected them brilliantly. Still, that wasn't what captured the merboy's attention, but rather the expression on the other boy's face. He looked as if he had been carved out of cold marble, for although he had a whimsical half-smile on his face as he watched the proceedings, there was a sense of something that one gathered while looking in his eyes. 
> 
> Although he might be at the festivities, he was no more a part of them than the two merboys were. There was a palpable air of solitude – loneliness really – blanketing him in a shroud, and a sort of self-recognition tore at the merboy's heartstrings brutally. The merboy would be willing to swear he had never seen anything as incredibly beautiful as that boy. 
> 
> And for the first time in his life, he found himself envious of those who lived on the world above. 
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> Of anyone who might know this boy, no matter how slightly. 
> 
> ***   
  
The storm crept up on the revelers quietly, with only faint rumblings announcing its presence. Then, with a resounding crash, it was upon them. The women let out a unified screech of outrage to the heavens as the unexpected heavy downpour soaked their silken dresses. In response, the sky crackled angrily, and whipped up a gale to assault the partygoers. 
> 
> Now there was a sort of frightened silence as the storm growled like the belly of a hungry ogre around them. As if purposely seeking the tiny ship, a sudden sharp sound echoed at lightning struck the mast full on. Now the force of the waves was splintering the tiny craft, a groaning creaking sound screaming though the blanket of rain. 
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> At the first hint of stormy weather, the merboy and his brother had dived beneath the waves, staring up at the turbulent surface with half-awed, half-horrified expressions etched upon their faces. The ship cracked, as if it was slowly being chewed upon by some monstrous behemoth. The barge above was taking on water, one side slowly sinking into the lashing waves. 
> 
> Every instinct was screaming at the merboy to dive down to where it was safe, to escape the chaos above, yet something equally as pulling was telling him to stay. He was worried over the other boy's safety, the merboy dimly realized, even as he called to his brother to continue on without him. 
> 
> He trembled in fear as head once again breached the surface, swimming around the debris from the splintering ship. Rain stung his face like thousands of tiny needles jabbing at his exposed skin. It was with effort he managed to swim to the ailing ship. Waves beat at the small craft, nearly sending him into it headfirst as he drew closer. Desperately the merboy shielded his eyes, straining to see some sign of the boy that had so captured his interest. 
> 
> Lightning lit the scene with a harsh light. The merboy saw him; it looked as if he was arguing with an older man, the man trying to pull him towards a smaller craft anchored near the edge. The boy was pulling away, motioning to something beyond the merboy's line of vision. The merboy could only swim helplessly as he felt the very water beneath him swell into almost demonic proportions. 
> 
> The wave crashed over the deck of the craft, pitching the boy off the edge as if he was nothing more substantial than a tiny toy. 
> 
> Now the merboy dived once more, thankful that the boy would be fine, once he took a big breath full of water and swam back to shore. As long as he kept beneath the surface and stayed away from the storm, he should be all right. Then a thought hit our merboy…obviously, those appendages weren't very suited for swimming. Especially through water as turbulent as this. He hesitated, before throwing any bit of remaining caution to the winds as he swam back to his human to help him make it back to land. 
> 
> Only, the human wasn't looking so good. He was sinking slowly, eyes closed and head thrown back in a way that made the merboy wonder if he was dead. No, he moved his arm weakly. The merboy waited patiently for him to draw in a breath, and the other boy did. A sudden spasm ripped through his body and the merboy's eyes widened in alarm. 
> 
> Was is possible? That humans could only subsist on…air?! The merboy grabbed the other's arms and yanked him with all his strength towards the surface, desperately pleading with him in his own language. He held the stranger's head above the surface of the water, shielding him as best he could from the rain. Seeing a large piece of wood from the ship float by, he heaved the other boy on top of it, grabbing the sides with a harsh grip that was painful in his intensity. 
> 
> *** 
> 
> The merboy gazed at the human boy lying upon the sand longingly from a safe distance. He had managed to drag the body up to the shore, still unsure as to whether or not the boy was even alive. The sun was peeking over the very edge of the horizon, bathing the scene in the reddish half-light before dawn. Scant though the light was, it was still enough for the merboy to ascertain that his human's chest was rising and falling. 
> 
> There was no need for him to stay there, the merboy chastised himself. He should leave before more humans showed up, or the boy himself regained consciousness. Still he drank in the sight of that strange boy as a dying man might gulp at water. 
> 
> Like a moth driven to throw itself into the flame.   
  
  
  

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> **End of Part One******
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> **To be Continued…**
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	3. Part Two

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> **Waves Upon the Sand**
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> The merboy sat on the very edge of the cliff, staring at his undersea home from the distance. The soft otherworldly light that was so usually comforting seemed dimmed to the point of fading to the young man. And the surrounding darkness seemed even thicker, threatening to swallow him up like the storm had done to the small drifting ship. 
> 
> In the weeks following his unusual encounter, he had taken to going up to the surface whenever he could, the only light guiding his way was the subtly caressing moonlight as it bathed him on the water. It reflected in his eyes as he gazed at the unabtainable land with the desperate fire of need. 
> 
> His abdomen was rubbed raw and glaring with an angry red color to anyone who came close enough to see it. Unlike the traces of tears on his face, those were not washed away once he finally managed to force himself back into the water from where he had thrust himself upon the beach, wretched sobs catching in the back of his throat as he clawed at the sand beneath his hands. 
> 
> As if he would do anything to bring himself closer to that visage which haunted him both day and night. 
> 
> A faint change in the current behind him made him aware that another person was swimming his way. Still he didn't even bother to turn his head to acknowledge the other person. He had a feeling he knew who it was already, the subtle shifting of an almost watery caress as her small body propelled itself though the water… 
> 
> "I had a feeling I would find you here." 
> 
> His youngest sister. 
> 
> She found a spot next to him and waited silently, as only she and his other youngest brother could do. She seemed to have an almost inner sense of light about her, because just her smile could make a person's world brighten in a dazzling way. 
> 
> "The Little One is worried." She said, affection evident in her light voice as she used the dimunitive term for their younger brother. "He's been swimming through the seaweed beds for hours looking for you. We've all been worried." Her tone now turned serious, with an edge that left no doubt as to the fact that it wasn't just tonight that had led to everyone's concern. 
> 
> The merboy sighed in a jet of water that startled a fish swimming nearby. 
> 
> "I'm sorry…I've had something on my mind lately." 
> 
> "Whatever it is…it must be as weighty as the Rock of Lydien." She said sadly. The merboy shuddered involuntarily at her inadvertent reference. The Rock of Lydien (the name itself is a romantization from the author's own imagination. The original is untranslatable) was from a well-known fable about a merman who had chanced to see human girl walking along the beach one night. He had fallen in love at first sight, but his family hadn't agreed on the match, to put it mildly. Fearful that someone might find out about their tribe, Lydien had been sentenced to being chained to a boulder that still stood in the center of the palace gardens to this very day. If one looked closely enough, one could still see the scratch marks at the base of the rock, from where he had attempted to claw the base of the chain out. 
> 
> Though it was now commonly thought of as a hoax, and the legend a warning fable, its lesson was still bitterly poignant to this day. 
> 
> "Are you ready to go back?" She finally asked. 
> 
> And the merboy couldn't help but wonder if he even had a place that would ever feel like home ever again…not when he had left a tiny part of himself on the surface that night. 
> 
> *** 
> 
> In the end, desperation pushed him over the edge. 
> 
> He hadn't been eating or sleeping right for the past month, there was now a gaunt unhealthy look to him that seemed to draw his family members' eyes towards him in sorrowful confusion. Even now a sharp edge of pain ran through his soul at the thought of his next actions, what he was planning on doing. And what the consequences would be if he actually succeeded. 
> 
> His common sense picked at him ruthlessly, rising and ebbing like the waves when they met the shore, almost causing him to turn back to the radiant illumination -- his home -- he was leaving behind. There was only darkness ahead where he was going. 
> 
> And he had never felt so lonely. 
> 
> Even the water seemed to turn icy around him as he swam towards a legend he was only half sure existed in the first place; no fish swam here, it was as barren as an underwater tomb, the rocks harsh and jagged. Several times he just barely managed to stop himself from getting cut on the razor sharp peaks as he moved past them silently. 
> 
> Deeper and deeper. 
> 
> The mouth of the cave opened like the great maw of some mysterious giant into his gaze from the darkness. The merboy felt very small as he swam up to the opening, half shivering from the cold water surrounding him. There was a very faint glow at the end of the cave, like a firefly dancing just out his reach. The merboy gulped, an unsettling feeling swirling in his stomach like a minature whirlpool. He belatedly realized that he had been hoping that the legends were untrue, so that he could as a minimum go back with the feeling that he had at least tried. Now there was nothing to do but continue forward. 
> 
> He swam low to the ground, allowing one slender arm to trail along the sandy bottom unconsciously, almost as if he was trying to keep at least one part of his body on something solid, just to remind himself he wasn't dreaming. 
> 
> It wasn't long before the light grew brighter and more distinct. So intent upon it he was, that he didn't even notice when the sandy bottom of the cave was no longer barren, but was now resplendent with a mysterious plant growth. It looked like seaweed, but had a thick bulbous head that waved gently in the currents he made as he swam by. 
> 
> Then something grabbed on to his wrist, latching on tightly and jerking him back. 
> 
> The merboy let out a half surprised shriek and turned to find out what had him so tightly ensnared. His eyes grew big with fear and he jerked wildly as he noticed the plant clinging tightly to his wrist, trying to gain purchase so that it could make its way up his arm. He began to thrash violently as he noticed the other plants waving towards him, like a pack of predators moving in for the kill. Finally, tearing at the plant until he managed to claw it off of his arm, he pressed himself against the top of the cave, eyes wide and chest heaving. The plants looked as if they were inclined to follow their target, seemingly stretching up higher to where the terrified boy burrowed deeper into the sharp crevices that made up the top of the cave. 
> 
> *** 
> 
> "The prince has been acting strangely ever since…the storm." The maid's whispering rumors seemed unnaturally loud in the stark marble halls of the cathedral-like royal palace. Columns disappeared into the shadows of a vaulted ceiling, great arches that were nevertheless beautiful with the greenery and sunlight peeking in from the gardens outside. The monumental architecture dwarfed all the people walking the halls in a solemn, awe-inspiring way, the only sound the faint tapping of their shoes on the hard, white marble. The other maid looked up from her scrubbing and gave the younger one a dirty look. 
> 
> "Oh, so now you're in a position to know how the prince is acting?" She mocked, impatience for their nigh-impossible task making her irritable towards her younger charge. 
> 
> "It's common knowledge." The girl said, a hurt expression marring her attractive features. "His parents were so worried that they won't even let him out of his—" 
> 
> Prince Yamato walked by the two with firm steps, nothing in his posture showing his annoyance. His pure white cape billowed behind him as the wind caught it playfully, also stopping to ruffle his blonde hair in a lovingly familiar way. And then he did stop to sigh, gazing out into the gardens with a look of pure longing.__
> 
> _The servants are gossiping again… _He thought, with only the slightest malice, knowing full well that it was more the fault of his parents than the serving girls. Still, it was irksome to be trapped in this gilded cage, especially when the only freedom he'd ever known was the limits of the garden, or the world beyond smothered with retainers and courtiers. Now even that had been taken from him, a subtle punishment for being mortal. 
> 
> And the dreams he had been having as of late certainly weren't helping matters any. 
> 
> His memories of that night were as waterlogged and weak as he had been when he washed up on shore, still, from the sharp fragments of images logged in his mind, he seemed to recall one in particular. The visage of a seraph, as lightning lashed across the angry heavens…dark, waterlogged tentrils of shoulder length hair, and deep mysterious eyes that drew one in like a siren's song. 
> 
> The prince chastised himself inwardly. It sounded more like a private fantasy of his than anything substantial. The only one he had told about his vision was his younger brother. Crystal-blue eyes laced with innocence had met his in reply, and a whispered voice heavy with childhood dreams. 
> 
> "I think it was an angel." 
> 
> The prince had smiled at his younger brother, ruffling his sunlight-spun hair, as brothers are wont to do on occasion, even as he inwardly agreed. It was the only explanation. Something that beautiful could not have been of this mortal world. 
> 
> Even an angel couldn't help him with the task he had set before himself, however much the assistance would be needed. The prince continued on his way, knowing that failure on his part would most likely lead to insanity. He had to get out of this place; every molecule of his body ached to at least take a ride along the beach. 
> 
> The hard part would be convincing his parents. 
> 
> *** 
> 
> The merboy trembled in fear, as the plants grew closer, moving lethargically towards their target. If there were ever a time for him to desperately attempt to flee home, now would be it. Still, the mouth of the cave was so far away, he didn't think he could make it. And the light at the end of the cave was so close…tantalizing. 
> 
> He sucked in a deep breath of water, quashing the urge to screw his eyes shut as he tensed every nerve in his body. And then he was off, swimming with all his might through the thick growth, wrenching his hands and fins from grasping arms of plant life until the end of the tunnel loomed before him abruptly. 
> 
> He almost choked on his panting gulp of water once he raised his head to truly inspect his surroundings. 
> 
> Milky white walls, the color of mother of pearl, glowed at him with an air that could only be termed bewitching. Turning his eyes towards the heavens, he saw the roof climbed up almost a blue whale's length; the color of the walls was so delicate, that it took a moment for the flustered boy to comprehend that they were also translucent. They showed the outside as if a light was shining through the sea to illuminate the dark, desolate area and turn it into some half realized dream from a faerie tale. Shelves upon shelves, lined with plants and parts of animals he had never ever dreamt of lined the walls of the gigantic cavern. 
> 
> "How long are you going to swim there with your mouth open like a fish?" The voice was abrupt, and startling, but not entirely unkind or without pity. The merboy whirled around to find himself face to face with his objective. 
> 
> The infamous sea-witch. 
> 
> The infamous sea witch, who, from this view, looked to be rather…male. He had long brown hair tied back with a strand of seaweed – haphazardly, as if done in the middle of something time consuming and difficult – and eyes that the young merboy couldn't help but think of as gentle, as blue as the sky on a clear morning. 
> 
> "I—I…well…um…" The merboy could only manage to make random syllables come bubbling past his rebellious lips. 
> 
> "I know why you're here." The words were calm, but spoken with such a pang of sadness that it almost smacked the merboy in the face like a physical blow. "I know what you desire." 
> 
> "H—How…do you…?" 
> 
> "You want legs, instead of your fins." The merman continued as if he hadn't heard the boy's soft question. Perhaps he hadn't. "You want to meet that human up on the shore…and you don't care what it takes to get there." 
> 
> "Lydien…?" The poor perplexed merboy whispered, half to himself. 
> 
> The sea witch let out a harsh laugh that made the nearby fronds of some exotic plant dance. "You think I'm the merman of legend?" 
> 
> "You sound as if you know what you're talking about." 
> 
> "I do, but not because I'm some worm-eaten old fable. If you must call me a name, you may refer to me as Gennai." The merboy tried to make the awkward syllables work from his mouth. The name sounded a bit guttural, as if it was a corruption of the language that humans used. 
> 
> Gennai drew the boy close, and for one startled moment, the merboy almost thought the older man was going to kiss him. But Gennai stopped when their faces were the barest distance from one another's, inspecting the other's eyes as if trying to graze the bottom of very depths of the other's soul. 
> 
> "I shouldn't…" The man whispered with angst. And before the merboy could speak, Gennai had thrust him roughly away, almost propelling him into a shelf. Gennai looked stricken. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be so rough. It's just that…you're so innocent. You...remind me of someone." 
> 
> "Innocent?" The merboy rubbed his shoulder from where Gennai had gripped him tersely. 
> 
> "Yes. You have no idea what love is, and yet you are willing to give up everything you have down here for someone you don't even know. You have no idea what you're getting into. You should go home." 
> 
> "I know what love is." The merboy spoke quietly. "It's pain. It's a pain that brings the sweetest pleasure in the world. Because you would do anything for that person, and you know it." For the longest time Gennai said nothing, then, with a violent motion, he beckoned the boy to follow him as he swam up to some shelves near the top of the cave. 
> 
> "Do you realize what this entails?" He asked gruffly, as he began to hand things to the merboy. "To turn your fins into legs, we must do something akin to splitting them. There is no perfect method to changing them, so whenever you walk, it will feel as if you are walking upon the tips fiery hot swords. Your feet will bleed if you stand too long upon them. That is the way exchange works." 
> 
> "Exchange?" The merboy's words were muffled by the assortment of items the merman had given him, covering his mouth as he attempted to keep his hold on them all. 
> 
> "It's the law that governs all magic. One cannot gain something without giving another thing up. The exchange for feet is pain when you walk. Not to mention, are you fluent in the human tongue?" 
> 
> The merboy shook his head in a silent no. And the look of sorrow deepened on Gennai's face. 
> 
> "You couldn't have been one of those silly maidens, looking for a love potion or something trifling like that, could you?" He whispered vehemently, leaving no doubt in the merboy's mind as to exactly what the man wished his mission were instead. "Now, to give you the ability to understand the spoken human language, you must give up your ability to talk. Even if you find your human, you will not be able to converse with him with anything other than body language." 
> 
> "I understand." 
> 
> "Your life will be shortened severely, though I cannot say exactly when you will die. And you will be more vulnerable to certain…afflictions." 
> 
> "All right…" The merboy managed to gulp. "I understand." He tried not to think of the consequences of what he was saying, for fear he would back out. Any measure of torment would have to be better than what he was feeling right now; anything was better than not knowing. 
> 
> "Then follow me." Gennai motioned, after picking up an ornamental knife cut from the edge of a conch. Its sharp, half-moon blade seemed to wink dangerously at the merboy before Gennai swam down to the mouth of the cave. "Put the other items back on the shelf. I'll organize them later." 
> 
> "Are we…going out that way?" The merboy stuttered nervously, remembering the welcome he had received from the plant life. 
> 
> "Don't worry. They know their master. They only keep out guests that are a bit less serious about seeking my services." Proving his point, Gennai swam into the dark opening. From the bit of light from the splendid cavern, the merboy could see that the plants moved away from the older merman. Fearful of being left behind, the merboy hurried after the man. 
> 
> "Where are we going." 
> 
> "To the surface. Unless you want to try to swim there yourself on two very sore and new appendages after we're done transforming you. I suppose you could, unless you want to give up the ability to breathe water as well." 
> 
> "No thank you." 
> 
> "Well, it looks as if you do have a bit of common sense after all." 
> 
> The merboy fell silent after that, not wanting to say that his whole family considered him very responsible and conscientious. In fact, this whole quest was so unlike him, he was beginning to feel like a completely different person. 
> 
> *** 
> 
> "Yes, mother, I know that I had a very narrow escape from death. This time I won't even be in a boat." The prince pleaded with his mother in the private chamber behind their ornate throne room. He always felt slightly claustrophobic there despite the enormity of the room, probably because the tapestries on the wall left one with a sense of dizziness and of being closed in. "Send as many people as you want with me, it's just that I have to get out of here." 
> 
> It was obvious from the look on his mother's face that she didn't quite understand her son's need for space in an immense castle such as this one. The gardens were always enough for her; they were so…orderly. So unlike the outside world with its hustle and bustle and dangers unknown. 
> 
> His father had retired a few moments ago, leaving his mother to ultimately make the final decision. The crown seemed to be resting heavy on his father's head as of late. He was pale and, Yamato had heard his parents whispering about it, was coughing up blood. He was so worried it was keeping him awake at night. Sometimes he envied his younger brother, able to sleep so peacefully. 
> 
> "Alright." The queen smoothed out the front of her wine-red dress, as if the nervous motion would somehow make her decision easier. "You may take leave of the palace, but you must take along fourteen courtiers. I don't want there to be an attempt on your life." 
> 
> Yamato felt like reminding her that he'd had fencing lessons ever since he was old enough to lift a sword, and was probably just as dangerous as any assassin, but considering he was lucky to be getting out at all, the usually temperament prince held his tongue. 
> 
> "Thank you, mother." He said instead, bowing low before exiting. Once out of the room he set off at a brisk pace to the stables, confident that the queen would alert his bodyguards as to his plans. 
> 
> *** 
> 
> "This should be far enough." Gennai finally said, after the hours of silence. Their pace had been much more hurried than the original expedition that had led to this in the first place. The merboy gulped audibly as he saw Gennai finger the knife, and then took a nervous look towards the world above. He'd never been to the surface when it was this bright out, though his brothers often – he couldn't think about them right now. Otherwise he'd turn back. 
> 
> "Come here." Gennai motioned again, bringing the merboy close. The merboy felt a gentle pressure on his throat, a half caress from strong fingers. He gazed at the man with sad eyes. _If I…if I wasn't doing this, I wish I could find out more about you._
> 
> Then, before he was half aware, a sharp pain gripped him, his mouth opened wide, but no sound emerged. 
> 
> Blood. 
> 
> There was blood dancing through the water, a gentle crimson stream forever suspended in that moment. The merboy's hands flew to his throat, feeling the two shallow cuts made across the upper portion. The salt water stung them. He turned to the man with wondering eyes, and found him chanting. Then the hands were at his throat again, with some sort of salve on them. The chanting grew louder, filling his ears. 
> 
> **PAIN!**
> 
> The merboy opened his mouth in a silent scream, trying not to flinch as the blade dug a furrow through his lower torso downward. He blinked rapidly before clenching his eyes shut and balling his fists. His fingernails dug into the whiteness of his palms, gouging perfect little half-moons as his soundless shriek continued into eternity. 
> 
> The water around him was blood, thick and choking like trying to breathe seaweed. He was dying. He was dying. 
> 
> He was being reborn. 
> 
> And then darkness claimed him. 
> 
> **End of Part Two**   
**To be continued...**
> 
>   
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	4. Part Three

waves03

> > **Waves Upon the Sand**
>> 
>>   
  
  

>> 
>> Prince Yamato urged his horse faster, digging his heels in and ignoring the shouts of protest from his bodyguards behind him, leaving them behind like a breeze does to mortals clinging tightly to the earth. At that very moment, the boy felt as if he was the only one alive able to catch the wind…if he was going just a little bit faster, he could fly. 
>> 
>> The setting sun was bleeding red and orange along the horizon, the jagged edges of the surrounding cliffs, with the amazing emerald valleys beckoning to him, and the tang of the sea breeze stinging his senses as he galloped along. 
>> 
>> If he was a source of consternation for his mother, the prince felt equally towards her. He would never understand how she could ever prefer the boring symmetrical gardens of their palace, to the sheer raw living outside world. Did he feel that way merely because it was new to him and he had been sheltered his whole life? Perhaps…but even that thought couldn't dampen his cheerful spirits. 
>> 
>> He chased the sun along the cliffs overlooking the ocean. His grin widened as he heard the protesting voices behind him finally dim until they were hardly discernable from the waves of the sea below. His castle home looked like a delicate toy carved from the finest crystal in the distance. Yamato shielded his eyes from the sun, half feeling as if he should be pleading with it to wait for him. He would follow it wherever it led, and then, when he caught it… 
>> 
>> How silly. What would one do with the sun if they managed to catch it? Yamato had no idea, but he was sure that was part of the fun: finding out. 
>> 
>> He turned his gaze towards the ocean, something inside him instinctively drawn to the blue upon gold contrast of waves meeting the shoreline. Something marred the smoothness of the vision before him, a tragic intruder upon the realm of sand and sea spray. 
>> 
>> There was a body on the shore. 
>> 
>> Hardly stopping to think, the prince drew back on the reins and left his horse to search amongst the craggy rocks for some grass to lip as he dismounted and began to climb down the cliff face. It wasn't very high, perhaps about ten feet, but had the prince been truly thinking about it, he'd realize exactly what the outcome of this whole thing would be. 
>> 
>> If one were perched on top of one of the higher cliffs, one would see the prince in miniature, tiny footprints marring the previously undisturbed surface of the sand as he ran towards the comatose body. What would be a pity, is the fact that one wouldn't be able to see to prince turning the body over, touch lingering slightly on the beautiful alabaster skin. Nor his expression of happiness when the boy opened his eyes and began to hack and cough. 
>> 
>> The prince smiled down on the strange boy, thankful that he was still alive and not some bloated corpse, as he had previously feared. His face was familiar; looking at it was like touching a memory made brittle with time. Too much thinking would damage it. The prince allowed himself to submerge in thought, even as the boy made a move to sit up. The boy suddenly started in shock, turning to examine the prince more closely. The prince sighed in irritation; it looked as if he had been recognized. 
>> 
>> There was something worrying at him. To be sure, the stranger looked as if he had plummeted from the heavens, rather than been coughed up by the ocean – wait…could it possibly be… 
>> 
>> Yamato jerked the boy's face towards his own, searching for something – anything – that would strike that resounding chord of remembrance. There was no clear sign. So what if the boy had dark hair; many people did. He was just seeing what he wanted to see. It was impossible for this stranger to have been his mysterious rescuer. No, more likely he was a boy from a nearby village, swept out farther than he'd intended by the undertow. 
>> 
>> That didn't mean he couldn't be gentle and kind to this bewitching stranger, at least for a little while. After all, he was as close to Yamato's fantasy as the prince was ever likely to find. 
>> 
>> *** 
>> 
>> A look of absolute horror spread over the merboy's features. Even more startling than waking up to find those haunting blue eyes gazing into his, was the utter twist of revulsion he felt when he saw what had been done to his lower torso. Gone were his beautiful blue iridescent scales that caught the light, and instead there lay two ungainly, hideous limbs, ending in an odd clunk of flesh with five globular appendages at the end. 
>> 
>> He felt like crying. He felt so ugly…it would be a wonder if his prince even could bear to look at him now. Why hadn't his prince noticed his ugly lower half? Then it smacked him upside the head like his brother's tail when they were playing a bit too rough. His prince had legs of his own. He probably didn't even understand the merboy's consternation. Still, he hadn't expected them to be so…deformed looking. Was it just his legs that looked this way? 
>> 
>> The merboy wiped traces of sand from his cheeks before glancing down at the prince's own legs. No, they were the same, malformed things that he currently had. 
>> 
>> How could humans bear it? Well that and…and…the merboy felt his gaze being drawn higher. How…strange! Humans had no protective sheath for their genitalia. It made him feel so naked, and exposed. And, he was absolutely freezing, teeth chattering together in a clattering chorus. 
>> 
>> There was a sudden feeling of warmth as the prince slipped his white mantle around the boy's shoulders. He smiled as the boy looked up at him in surprised thanks, the radiance of his eyes made doubly beautiful by the snowy pureness of his skin. It was odd…for a village boy, he didn't seem very tanned; it was almost as if the rays of the sun hadn't caressed him once. 
>> 
>> "So, what is your name?" The prince asked gently, curiosity twisting him to its will at last. 
>> 
>> The merboy opened his mouth, and was faintly surprised when there was no familiar outpouring of words. When one is accustomed to something, its sudden lack can be a shock. He looked down at the ground once in frustration, and then forced his eyes to meet the prince's once more, inwardly praying that it would be enough. That the prince would somehow understand… 
>> 
>> "You're mute?" The prince asked gently. So distraught was the merboy over all this newness pressing all around him, that he didn't notice the prince's tone. It was if the prince was speaking to a very small child with no wit at all. A beautiful idiot. 
>> 
>> The merboy nodded, inwardly thankful that the prince was astute enough to bridge the gap between them. 
>> 
>> "Do you think you can stand?" 
>> 
>> Again, the merboy nodded his reply, and took the prince's proffered hand in his own, leaning on him as he tried to gain control of his new appendages. And then he opened his mouth in another soundless scream as tears came unbidden to his dark, luminous eyes. 
>> 
>> Fire raced along his nerves in scorching intensity, leaving bolts of pure pain in their wake when he moved his legs in the slightest. Like walking upon sharp knives. 
>> 
>> He inadvertently fell against the prince when the pain was too much to bear, relieved when the prince didn't make any move to shrug him off, or let him go. Because he really didn't think he could stand at that moment. 
>> 
>> "Hold! Who are you to touch his majesty with such familiarity?!" A loud voice snapped. Yamato groaned in irritation. He'd forgotten about his guards in all this excitement. 
>> 
>> They didn't belong in this gentle world along the beach, their colorful uniforms clashing garishly when compared to natural blue and gold. Yamato resented their intrusion for a reason too deep for him to try and fathom at this time, just the emotion bubbling hot and thick. And it threatened to erupt full force when the captain of the guard strolled up to the strange boy and latched on to his arm, jerking him away from the prince forcefully. The boy's face contorted in pain at the rough motion and Yamato glared at his men sharply. 
>> 
>> "Leave him be! I found him washed upon the shore. He has done nothing to harm me, unless you consider me so weak as to not be able to hold my own against a naked, half drowned boy! We will take him back to the palace to dress his wounds." 
>> 
>> "B-but, milord!" Another man protested. Yamato suddenly found himself disconcerted by the fact that he didn't know any of their names, their faces all ran together to him. "You cannot be suggesting that we just take him with us! How will your mother react?" 
>> 
>> _As if I was talking about bringing home a mongrel puppy, or something of the sort. Granted, he may not have his wits about him, but he's certainly no animal! _ Yamato thought vehemently. "That is my concern, not yours. Or do you forget your place?" 
>> 
>> "No, milord…" 
>> 
>> And soon, the poor bewildered merboy found himself upon a horse, with the prince's mantel covering his modest bits, and a stony glare from the guard who'd had to give up his mount for this stranger. 
>> 
>> *** 
>> 
>> The merboy squirmed in the large man's grip, feeling uncomfortable as the small troupe progressed up the seemingly endless marble staircase. Still, it was a tribute to the other man's patience that he bore all the wriggling, and didn't look unkindly upon his charge. 
>> 
>> Finally, they made it to an obscenely lavish room, rich colors at war with pure whiteness. The bedspread—say nothing of the enormous bed itself—was of a rich blue color, almost deep enough to drown in. White, silky curtains billowed in from the balcony, almost obscuring the astounding view of the mountains. 
>> 
>> "Put him down on the bed." Yamato said, "And make sure he is taken care of. Do not simply toss him out of the castle; trust me, I will find out. I must go inform my mother that I have made it back safely, before she sends a search party." 
>> 
>> Then he was gone, leaving the room with the firmness of command only those born to it can truly master. 
>> 
>> The merboy shied away from the circle of men surrounding the bed, most of them probably wondering what on earth to do with their unusual charge. He found himself terrified as he fought to override his instinct to dive into deep water. There wasn't anything to dive into here, and the mere thought sent him trembling. 
>> 
>> Finally one of the men broke from their stupor. "There, there. I don't know what you're used to, but we won't hurt you." Then, turning to his companion, "Well, shall we take him down to the stables then? I've heard one of their boys ran off with a serving wench, and they're in desperate need of extra hands. We can stop by the kitchen and have Shin get him something to eat, and clean his wounds." 
>> 
>> The dark-haired man who'd so carefully borne him up the stairs now gathered him into his arms once again. The befuddled merboy began to struggle violently once he realized that he was being carried away from the prince's room. How was he ever going to come into contact with the prince again if he wasn't sure he could make it back there in the first place? 
>> 
>> His flailing arms hit something solid, and he then looked at the man carrying him with an expression of deep guilt, calming down immediately. 
>> 
>> "Ouch. Looks like he got you good across the cheek…he's a wild one when he wants to be, eh?" A man with hair even fairer than his prince's came up to inspect the wound; he spoke with a kindly provincial accent that spoke of great lengths traveled to be of service to his royal family. "Looks like it's bleeding a little. Must've gotten you a bit with his nails; I'm a tad surprised you didn't deck him right back." 
>> 
>> "I couldn't." The dark haired man spoke with a more refined tongue; most likely he hailed from one of the nearby cities. "After all, I'm used to it, what with three of my own young ones at home. You should see them when it comes to bath time; they're much worse than he is!" 
>> 
>> "I can imagine…" A third guard piped up. "My little boy is the same way; you'd think I was boiling him alive!" 
>> 
>> The merboy absorbed all this quietly, finding this exchange fascinating. He hadn't really known what he was getting into, putting himself in the midst of what had been classified by his people for generations as "savage killers", and here they were having a discussion about their children! Like the proudest merman under the ocean, talking about his own family. It certainly gave him pause, as well as a welcome feeling of relief. These men, at least, wouldn't do him any harm. 
>> 
>> *** 
>> 
>> The grandeur of the stately halls dimmed as they went lower into the bowels of the castle, the smooth and beautiful marble turning to course rock. The hallways narrowed, and the steps were now roughly hewn, rather than smooth and gleaming. It was warmer too, though the merboy didn't mind; he'd found himself too chilly up in the airier parts of the palace. In fact, it was rather comforting, like sleeping next to the warm jets of water near his home. 
>> 
>> Finally, the group turned left into an immense, but busy room. A great fire stretched along a whole entire wall, only kept at bay by the grate. Boiling pots, and entire carcasses of animals turning on spits were being cooked above the flames as too many people to count hustled and bustled around in a mad fury. Along the other wall was a row of ovens, and the merboy peered curiously as he noticed mounds of an unknown, doughy-looking substance being shoveled in. He wrinkled his nose at the mixture of smells in the air; they weren't unpleasant, but they were new and a bit overwhelming. Suppertime at the palace was always hectic, as he would find out from future experience. 
>> 
>> The guard holding him shouted into the din without warning. "Shin! Hey, Shin, come over here for a moment!" 
>> 
>> A tall, slender man managed to miraculously disengage himself from the human tangle. His hair looked almost blue in the glow coming from the fire. He stopped to rub some perspiration from his brow, and then regarded the guards familiarly. "So, what is it?" He asked, hurriedly, but not rudely. 
>> 
>> "We've a patient for you." The blond man grinned, motioning to the merboy. "The prince found the guy along the beach. I think there's somethin' wrong with his legs…can't seem to stand too long. We're wondering if he could be of any use to the stables after you check him out…He's mute too, just so you're knowing." 
>> 
>> "It took five of you to bring him down here?" Shin asked dryly, motioning to a small room off the hallway leading to the kitchen. "Bring him over there and I'll see what I can do." 
>> 
>> He shouted into the hubbub, "Hey, Shuu! Take my place for a little while, okay? Make sure the hart doesn't get burned on one side like last time!" 
>> 
>> In contrast to the kitchen, this room was small, almost cramped. It was also much cooler than the kitchen; the merboy could feel himself begin to shiver again as the man put him down gently on the straw-stuffed pallet in the corner. Shin sighed as the men crammed into space as best they could. 
>> 
>> "You never did explain why you all were here…" He complained as the blond jostled him unintentionally. 
>> 
>> "We want to make sure he's all right." The dark-haired one protested. Shin exhaled noisily in response, but made no move to force them out of the room. 
>> 
>> After a preliminary check of the merboy's shivering body, Shin pressed lightly on one leg, and noticed the tears of pain seeping from the boy's eyes. He was more cautious after that, carefully probing for broken bones, and looking apologetic whenever the merboy winced. He traced soothing fingers along the cuts near the merboy's throat, trying to smile at the merboy reassuringly. 
>> 
>> "Well, there's nothing broken. I guess it's a condition he's had since birth." Shin finally explained. "I don't think he'll be much use in the stables, but we always need another hand in the kitchen. Once I get him all taken care of, I'll talk to someone about assigning him a room down here. Here, could you get me some water in this basin?" He held a shallow bowl out to the nearest guard and then pulled out a worn leather bag from underneath the bed. 
>> 
>> "Hey Shin, he looks almost like he's related to you. Is he your bastard son or somethin'?" The blond needled the doctor/cook. 
>> 
>> Shin laughed shortly. "Hardly. Although, there is a bit of resemblance…" He admitted before chuckling in a more gentle tone. 
>> 
>> The guard finally reentered the room, with the basin full of lukewarm water. Shin removed a towel from his leather sack and began to carefully wipe the blood off of the merboy. After that was done, he took out a bag of dried, finely ground herbs and mixed a small amount into a paste. The merboy flinched away at first, as the slightly stinging sensation accompanied the small even stokes under his chin. He was shivering so hard now that it was blurring his vision. 
>> 
>> "Go to the supply room and get him some clothes." One of the guards caught the attention of one of the cooks passing by. The cook shrugged and turned down a nearby hallway, quickly coming back with a clean shirt and pants. The weave was course against the merboy's smooth skin, but they did provide a sense of much-needed warmness and modesty. 
>> 
>> "There." Shin exclaimed. "Feel better?" 
>> 
>> *** 
>> 
>> When Yamato finally returned to his room, after receiving a rather severe lecture from his mother on coming back two hours late, he wasn't surprised to see the mysterious boy had vanished without a trace. But he was oddly disappointed. 
>> 
>> He distracted himself by going to the balcony and staring out at the sunset. The sky was awash in heavenly paint, divine purples, oranges, and reds. It bled into the valleys below, turning the green darker and more muted. The air was also getting cold, Yamato noted. He still made no move to go inside, and instead leaned against the balustrade of his terrace. 
>> 
>> The ground was a long way away. 
>> 
>> As the wind began whipping at his clothes maliciously, Yamato almost felt as if it was beckoning him. Leave this cage once and for all… He shook his head as he gazed down at the ground. It wasn't as if he could fly; escape was impossible. 
>> 
>> A gilded cage indeed… 
>> 
>> "Milord? Will you be getting ready for bed soon?" A young voice asked from behind him. For a moment, Yamato couldn't even tell if it was a boy or a girl. Didn't care either way. "I've come to help you into your nightwear." Yamato didn't know if he could stop the laughter from bubbling past his lips. Even the lowliest peasants could clothe themselves. 
>> 
>> But he wasn't a peasant. 
>> 
>> "Alright, I'm coming." He said as kindly as he could make himself reply. He finally stepped inside, leaving the hastily approaching night behind, as the serving boy poked at the fire in his grate. The boy put in the longhandled bed warmer into the hottest part of the flames, before bowing low to the prince. The boy began to disrobe Yamato, and then when he was finished, quickly clothed Yamato in his nightgown. 
>> 
>> Yamato found himself captivated by the older boy's lips; they pressed so tightly together as he went about his task, trying so desperately not to make a single mistake. Beautiful and full, with the perfect tinge of red to them. They were sensuous. Not unlike his angel's. 
>> 
>> Not unlike the strange boy from today. 
>> 
>> "There was a boy here." Yamato spoke and immediately the boys face whipped up to his in complete attention. 
>> 
>> "Yes, milord?" The boy finally replied hesitantly. 
>> 
>> "Do you have any idea what could have become of him?" Yamato paradoxically asked and commanded at the same time. The boy's face scrunched up in thought, and Yamato felt like laughing for the second time that day. Not cruel laughter but rather an amused chuckle…his younger brother made the same sort of face upon occasion. 
>> 
>> "I remember hearing something about the kitchen staff receiving a new member, milord." The boy responded slowly, as if afraid to give out faulty information. "I heard some of the guards talking about it; they said he was a boy and he had dark hair." 
>> 
>> "That would be him." The prince said decisively. The boy's task now completed, he bowed before making his way to the door. "Hold. I would like to question you about a few matters." The boy whipped around so sharply at his lord's voice that he almost bumped into an end table. 
>> 
>> "Have you ever worked in the kitchens?" The prince asked, motioning for the boy to sit down in a nearby chair. The boy did as he was commanded, though he was obviously ill at ease. 
>> 
>> "Y-yes, milord. It was where I started, until I was promoted." 
>> 
>> "Is the work hard or strenuous?" The prince inquired, colbalt blue eyes boring in on the poor frightened boy. The boy gulped, wondering why his master was showing such an interest in things obviously beneath his attention. 
>> 
>> "No harder than most, your highness. They are actually fairly kind down there, and you are always well fed. Sometimes the tasks are difficult, but it was nothing I found impossible." 
>> 
>> "Good." The prince sighed to himself before dismissing the boy with a wave. It looked as if the stranger had been taken care of, and there was nothing more he need do. 
>> 
>> *** 
>> 
>> "I know that it's a bit cramped," Shuu explained to the newest member of their staff, "But at least it's a place to sleep. And you get a nice straw pallet." He motioned to a thin-looking mattress on the floor. Even if it wasn't raised off the floor, it looked as if the room was surprisingly clean, and the blanket wasn't even ragged. 
>> 
>> The merboy wondered if they had put him against the wall opposite the cook-fires on purpose; the room was toasty and inviting, especially when one compared it to the hallway. Judging by the kind expression on the older man's face, the merboy was under the impression that it might have been purposeful after all. 
>> 
>> "Sleep well." The man said, before moving to his own room a flight of stairs up. 
>> 
>> The merboy sighed softly in the darkness, trying to adjust to the prickly straw biting into his skin. He nestled deeply into the bedding, until he had a sort of nest around him. The heat was making him drowsy, but he forced himself to stare up at the ceiling until his eyes wouldn't bear the weight of his eyelids any more. 
>> 
>> Almost feeling if he gazed hard enough, the layers separating them would vanish into thin air, and he would be able to catch a glimpse of his prince so many rooms away. 
>> 
>> _It's so lonely here..._

  


> > **End of Part Three**   
**To be continued…**
>> 
>>   
  
  
  
  
  
  



	5. Part Four

  


**Waves Upon the Sand**

  
  
  
  
  


The merboy had discovered a curious fact of human existence: namely that any pain is bearable once a person accepts it as a part of life. 

Down in the depths of the kitchen, the cooks were not cruel, nor the other servants (well, most of them in any case…but that will be discussed at a later time), but the work was difficult—at least as far as the merboy was concerned. Often the merboy would be on his tender feet all day long, tending the bellows, or running simple errands. "Simple" because few thought him intelligent enough to handle more complex tasks, as if his lack of voice was somehow indicative of a lack of functioning brain as well. 

Not that he had many chances to utilize a voice, even if he'd had one in the first place. There was no one to talk to. 

Every day was a new learning experience, and with all the strangeness surrounding him, sometimes the merboy couldn't really blame the people around him for considering him to be some sort of idiot savant. He made mistakes…big mistakes that were suspicious. 

Just the other day, Shin had finally given him a chance to man the gigantic spits that could turn whole roasting boars, harts, or almost any animal imaginable. It was a bit tricky to get the timing exactly right, but after he had been praised on his pheasants, Shin had thought him ready for something a bit larger. 

It was peculiar, but the merboy had yet to taste anything of animal flesh. It was saved for the nobles, while the servants usually got fish soup, or something else inexpensive and easy to make. Not that the merboy minded, though he had to admit that getting used to it cooked was a bit unusual at first. Still, Shuu made the best soup he'd ever tasted…well, it was the _only_ soup he'd ever tasted, but that didn't stop him from grinning at Shuu widely and holding out his bowl for seconds to express his approval. 

But, we are getting lost on the winding path of our subject. 

In any case, the merboy had been manning the spits. It was closer to the fire than he had ever been before, and he almost felt as if he wanted to wrap it around him like a blanket. For some odd reason, the merboy was constantly finding himself chilled. An idea had struck him as he watched the beautiful tendrils sway hypnotically: why not just reach out and take a small piece for himself? He could keep it in his pocket and let it dance for him and warm his frozen bones when he was in the halls. 

One must understand, the merboy had never come into contact with fire before. In his undersea home, heat was provided by geysers of warm water near the center of the palace. They were never hot enough to be scorching, and were actually a source of profound comfort. 

Luckily, Shin had noticed him reaching through the grate, and had given him the lecture of his life. The merboy had glared at him sullenly, wishing more than anything he could combat the accusations of stupidity with the explanation he'd never seen fire before. The glowering expression soon vanished once Shin pulled up the long sleeve of his tunic and proceeded to show the merboy exactly what fire could do to those who were unwary. The merboy had flinched at the sight of heat-puckered skin, healed from a wound acquired long ago. 

Now, the merboy would watch the flames warily, like the enemy they were, never daring to get quite so close to them again. 

Still, was it odd that he missed the emotion he'd felt when they were simply something beautiful? When he was innocent as to the pain they could cause… 

*** 

It was hard to believe that two months had passed since he had been brought to the palace. The only glimpses he'd even caught of the prince were when some of the friendlier guards--those who had taken care of him on that one day-- had allowed him a quick peek into the throne room, before shooing gently him on to his business elsewhere. 

There were only two major instances that had been different. 

And both showed two wildly different sides to the human boy he'd inadvertently fallen in love with. 

The first one had been when his business had taken him into the royal gardens to relieve the soldiers on watch and ring the bell for dinner. Admittedly, the gardens were one of his favorite parts of the palace. They stretched on for miles and miles, cool green grass cut closely on gently sloping hills, and seemingly endless gardens of rosebushes and the occasional tree for added character. 

It was a place where the royal family could feel completely safe, as well as provide a semblence of privacy. There might be guards posted around every corner, but the design was so ingenious that one would hardly notice. So he could hardly be faulted for wanting to spend a little more time than necessary loitering around after he'd rang the bell summoning the current shift of guards. It was rather amusing to watch all these men in full armor come popping out of the woodwork, seemingly at random. Most of them had a smile for him, and a few of the ones he knew better ruffled his dark locks as they rushed by…of course, when you are as hungry as they were, anyone bringing news of food is likely to get the same loving reaction. 

His feet had ached that day, and he knew from experience if he didn't take a chance to rest, they would begin to bleed. It had happened one day when he was forced to stand in the halls for hours at a time, holding the bucket and mop as the maids gossiped right in front of him. He'd felt an excruciating splitting sensation, and then the feeling of something warm and wet running down his lower calves. Powerless to do anything at the time, he had stood in the pool of ever widening blood beneath his feet helplessly. 

And then, when discovered, the head of the castle grounds had him beaten for sullying the white marble. 

Shin had been in a fury when he found out that someone had the audacity to beat another boy under his authority. "And for_ bleeding_, no less!" He'd exclaimed to the battered merboy while tending the red welts on his back. "Although, you _shouldn't_ have just stood there like an idiot. Bleeding is a serious matter…and if that bastard hadn't done it for me, I might have taken the whip to you myself. If you're hurt, you can't mess around. We need you too much around here." 

The merboy seriously doubted that was the case, but the mere fact that Shin would say such a thing sent happiness coursing through his veins. It was almost enough to ease the pain from his back and legs. 

He certainly didn't want to repeat that experience, so he had looked for a place to sit down in the garden. Finally he'd found a secluded spot, where some wildness had actually crept into the sternly composed order unaware. A field of wildflowers so thick one couldn't even see anything of the ground. If one were to lie down among the flowers, one would remain unseen until someone stumbled across you. And the colors were so vibrant, each individual flower a slightly different shade than the rest. 

There was a tree near the edge of the field, and the merboy had climbed between its ancient, upraised roots and settled back to watch the sunlight filter through the leaves, casting mesmorizing shadows on the ground below. He'd only noticed the voices a few moments later. 

"Are you sure this is allowed?" The voice was young, and slightly nervous with the guilt children felt when going against their elders. 

"It won't hurt for us to skip our lesson for one day, Takeru." A voice with affection like rich honey replied, and the merboy started. 

It was a voice he would know anywhere. 

Shyly he'd peeked around the tree, to be met with the profile of his prince and a younger boy. Then he had slumped back in his spot, thoughts racing like wildfire through his head. _What was he going to do? The prince was right there…he should make his presence known…he shouldn't make his presence known. If the prince wanted to see him, he would have summoned him…_

His back pressed against the heavy bark of the tree, he had listened to his prince talk to his younger brother. There was sweet laughter on just the other side of the tree, and soon the voices became low mummers as the elder of the two princes began to tell a story. 

It had to do with an angel that lived on the moon. Every night she would gaze down on the earth, watching over it lovingly. Until one day she saw a young man, a dashing prince; she had ended falling in love with the man, as she watched him from so high above. 

Finally, one night, her love was too great for her to bear, and she decided to leave her celestial home. The only way she could do so, however, was to jump from the moon down to the earth. Although she tried with all her might to use those wings she had been born with, in the end, she fell helpless to the cold ground. 

When she awoke, she found her beautiful wings broken and useless, each movement was painful. Still, through great bravery, she managed to get up and hobble away, searching for her prince through night and day, over land and sea. Her long, flowing hair got in the way, so she hacked it off…her once soft hands became rough with manual labor. People would laugh at her wings, or mock her search disbelievingly. 

One day she got work at a castle in a faraway country, and as she was doing the laundry she saw her prince in the garden. He was getting ready for his marriage. That night, the poor angel wept into her pillow, each tear becoming a sparkling diamond. In the end she decided to visit the prince before going on her way. But as she smoothed the hair back from his sleeping head, he recognized her for what she truly was…the angel in the moon. And he clasped her hand, refusing to let go even when she began to cry again. 

He explained how he had gazed up at her for so many nights, wishing he could tell her how he felt about her…wishing that she had been directing her gaze towards him. They embraced, as lost lovers are wont to do after a long separation… 

"…And then they got married." Takeru finished decisively. Yamato had laughed at his brother's comment, and chuckled even more when Takeru shot him an affronted glance. "Well, they _did_." 

"Yes, they did." Yamato had agreed. 

"Oniichan?" Takeru asked. "Who was he going to marry before he met the angel?" 

"I don't know…probably just another princess." Yamato explained. "We don't really know, because it's not important to the story." 

"Would you wait?" Takeru questioned. 

"Wait for what?" Yamato had seemed confused at his younger brother's question. 

"For your angel to come and find you? Do you think she's on her way right now?" 

"Silly. There's no angel trying to find me." 

"Yes, there is!" Takeru had insisted, in that way younger children have about them when they're trying to be serious. "Maybe she fell into the ocean when you were drowning…that's why she saved you!" And Yamato had become strangely silent at those words, as if he was musing over something very deeply. 

But the merboy had his own things to reflect upon. To his surprise, he felt tears gathering at the corners of his eyes; the scene one the other side of the gnarled tree was entirely too reminiscent of time spent with his own younger brothers. All the feelings he'd been repressing so far came bubbling to the surface, and the merboy realized with a sharp pang that he was very homesick. 

It made him wonder if all this had been worth it after all… 

Then he would think back to the rich affection in the prince's voice, and how it would feel to have just a bit of it reflected to him and his thoughts would become all muddled again. He didn't know, whether it was worth it or not, but considering there was nothing he could do either way, the merboy resolved himself to just bear it. 

His lateness to dinner had not gone unnoticed; as did the whimsical smile he wore when he finally made it back to the kitchen. Shuu began to tease him about stealing a kiss from one of the serving wenches, only to receive a brotherly rap upside the head for his attention from Shin. Shuu had responded by sticking out his tongue in a manner that took years off his age. 

"Teasing will do him good!" Shuu insisted as he dug around for an extra large bowl to spoon his fish soup into, correctly assuming the merboy would be famished. The merboy frowned in mock bad humor, though he _did_ find it rather irritating when people spoke about him as if he wasn't there. It was amazing how familiar he had begun to feel around those two…as if they were the older brothers he'd always wanted. "He's as human as you or I, and treating him as if his feelings are made of glass isn't going to help." 

"True." Shin admitted from the unusually empty room; he was molding dough into its proper shape for the ovens. "But I find it awfully unfair to pick on someone who can't make a retort back…" 

"Are you kidding?" Shuu had responded. "You ever bothered to glance at his eyes? I swear they're the most expressive things I've ever seen, if you take the time to look at them…" 

"A pity more don't take the time." Was all Shin had said before calling his brother over to help with the oven doors. 

*** 

It was curious that his other insight would happen in the same place. Well, same as in being "in the garden", it did not happen underneath that same tree. The merboy couldn't help but be thankful for that; it meant he could still hold that memory to his heart, instead of the flame he had so coveted, when he was feeling cold. 

In truth, the merboy had a habit that no one else was aware of. He took great pains that it _remain_ that way, for fear that his routine would end up bringing another whipping down upon his head. Or his back. One had been enough to last him quite a while, and he was in no hurry to repeat the experience. 

Every night he was able, he would carefully get up from his itchy straw pallet and pad down the winding labryinthian halls silently, the rough stone feeling almost abnormally cold underneath his tender feet until it was replaced with something more gentle to his perpetually sore legs. Grass, moonlight-darkened and blanketed under a velvet-black sky until it seemed he had stumbled into a fairyland by mistake. 

If he had, sometimes the merboy wished he could stay there forever. 

Ever since that one afternoon, he had always grinned up at the moon, offering a silent smile for his partner in suffering. After all, even though he couldn't see any angel there, he just laughingly assumed it was because she had managed to win her prince. Perhaps he should try to track her down and ask for tips. 

Of course the merboy wasn't stupid; he was perfectly aware that it was just a story, not unlike their—the merfolk--fables of the sea prince and the sleeping dragons, or the waterfairies of the river who feel in love with one mermen of the deep ocean…or, the rock of Lydien… 

He had lost track of how many times he had told those particular stories to his younger siblings. Each of them had a favorite that they lovingly/selfishly expected to be performed when they were younger, letting his voice lull them to sleep as surely as the currents rocked them like a cradle. And on this night in particular, he found himself thinking of the eldest of his two younger sisters. If there were anyone he should be asking hints from, it would be her. She was so willful and stubborn, and yet there was such sweetness to her, one couldn't help forgiving her even at her worst. Just one toss of that long lavender hair and you were instantly ensnared by her grin. 

He knew that if she had been the one in love with the prince, she would have stalked up to his room and dragged him out by his toenails if need be, whatever concequences might come her way. He wished he could be so forceful, instead of silently working in the kitchens, belatedly hoping that he would somehow catch the prince's notice. _There wasn't much of a chance of that happening_, the merboy considered pragmatically. 

It was with these thoughts he had traversed the expanse of grass to his final destination: the hugely ornate fountain in the very center of the gardens. The base was so immense that he had to struggle to get himself upon the edge. Once he finally was perched there, he pulled off his shirt and the pants he wore before gazing at the water with something akin to a long weary traveler seeing his home for the first time in years. After letting his clothes drop for the sides into an expanse of shadows, he finally slipped into the water with a heartfelt sigh, splashing like a child in the bathtub as he began to swim up to the centerpiece. 

Stone cupids stared at him with dead eyes; some having their mouths open in a parody of a kiss as water trickled out into the pool below. Feeling deliciously happy over just being in the water again, the merboy had laughed silently, kissing one of them on the mouth and breathing in the water like a lover does his beloved's perfume. 

Only in the water did his wounds finally give him some relief from their incessant pain. He could swim with utter freedom, with only the moonlight to guide his way. Many times, the merboy had considered trying to sleep here, water in a comforting embrace surrounding him on all sides, as he was used to. In the end, he always decided against the overwhelming temptation, out of fear of not being able to rise at his appointed time, or being discovered by the first round of sentries on their watch. 

Somehow he didn't think any amount of pantomiming was going to explain his presence in the royal fountain, and naked no less. And if they weren't his friends, well, he could just imagine them alerting the head of the grounds. 

And even more horrifying, looming in the forefront of his mind, was the look of bewildered disgust he was so sure would follow from those that actually did know him… 

No, it was better to be safe than sorry, and just enjoy his few hours submerged as best he could. 

So intent he was upon doing just that, he didn't even hear the noises at first. When he did finally hear something odd, as was his instinct, he dove for deep water and ended up hitting his head ungracefully on the bottom of the fountain. 

He had surfaced with a splash that seemed unnaturally loud in his ears, holding his head, and thinking a few violent cusswords in his native tongue. He spent a few moments feeling like quite the idiot before another facet of his merperson nature manifested itself. 

Curiosity. 

Quietly, he managed to remove himself from the fountain and retrieved his clothes. The ground beneath his feet was once again like the cruelest of steel knives jutting into his soles, but even that didn't stop him as he shyly peeked around the corner. 

Something in his heart actually hurt at that very moment, like someone had thrust an icicle deep into his chest. 

Right beside a bench, in plain view except for the inky shadows partly obscuring them was the prince and another boy. The merboy had no illusions as to what they were up to, even if he had never before…well, witnessed it. From his position he could clearly see the creamy skin of the prince, as if it had been shorn from moonlight itself. 

Hands, running though the prince's angelic halo of blonde hair as the other boy tasted the delicacy that was the prince's mouth. And Prince Yamato had seemingly given himself entirely to sensation, smiling hedonistically. 

The merboy must have made a noise, perhaps a rustling as he turned to leave the scene. In any case, it was enough to alert the two boys to his presence. Yamato had stood up, crystalline eyes searching through the shadows, pants half undone. Still he managed to stand with a sort of commanding grace, until something curious happened. 

The merboy knew he had been seen when he saw his prince's eyes widen as if he had seen a specter. 

And then, a hoarse whisper cutting through the stillness of the night air. 

"Who are you?" 

The merboy had run, not caring that about the pain, or blood running down his legs in a multitude of crimsom rivers. Anything to get away from that scene burned into his mind, like the puckered flesh on Shin's arm. 

A memory never to be forgotten, try though he might. 

The prince was like a fire, beckoning someone to come closer with promises of warmth. But a fire didn't care if you got burned or not. A fire wouldn't even remember its victims. Why should it? They were of no importance in the end. 

*** 

An angel fallen to earth. 

Why had he seen that face again? The visage that haunted his very dreams, whether he admitted it or not…a seraph from heaven, commanding his thoughts with a whim. The words had come out of his throat of their own accord, and in answer, that face had disappeared from view…the barest sound of someone running away was the only thing he heard. 

Yamato suddenly felt dirty and cold, pulling his discarded shirt around him like a shroud. His lover was demanding answers, and it was all Yamato could do to command him to be quiet. 

One didn't command a lover. 

Especially Yamato. If he commanded, then he would have to admit to himself, deep down inside, they were no more lovers than they were two stars in the night sky. 

Without a word, he began to walk back to his room.   
  
  
  


**End of Part Four**   
**To be continued...**   
  



	6. Part Five

Waves Upon the Sand

> **** ****
> 
> **Waves Upon the Sand**
> 
>   

> 
> Prince Yamato's spirits sunk lower and lower as the celebratory banners rose higher. The royal tailor requested politely that the prince not squirm around so much, as it was becoming hard to gather his measurements for his new clothing. Still, the tailor looked positively delighted to have something to do, finally. The prince wasn't given to vanity like so many of his kind, and could go years without getting new clothes made. In fact, it often got to the point where he began looking rather ragged around the edges before it suitably attracted his mother's attention. 
> 
> It seemed as everyone in the castle was in a cheerful mood; it wasn't every day that they had such an elaborate envoy stopping by their kingdom. Due to the small, and out of the way, nature of their realm, they were often bypassed by some of the wealthier nobles on their yearly circuits, despite the often-praised beauty of their little nation. When someone did decide to come out to visit them, it was a time for the most elaborate celebration the kingdom could muster. 
> 
> However, all this wasn't what was making the prince so despondent. Truth be told, he enjoyed the feasting and the parties just as much as everyone else, though he did seem to tire of them long before the rest of the castle. No, that wasn't the problem. 
> 
> It was the purpose of the envoy. 
> 
> All enjoyment he might have gathered from the circumstances had taken a flying leap off the observatory tower when he heard about the "young, beautiful, and_ unwed_" daughter of the Tachikawa family. His kingdom might not be the largest in the land, but they certainly had enough gold to fill their coffers more than adequately, so Yamato, being of a marriageable age, was one of the most sought-out princes on the continent. 
> 
> Just last year, there had been a surprising influx of invitations for him to visit other castles. "To pay their respects" most of them said, however, he couldn't help but notice that most of the places he was invited to seemed to have a rather large supply of unwed daughters. 
> 
> Perhaps it wouldn't have been so painful if all of them, without fail, hadn't had more than half a brain between them. Sure, they had sighed coquettishly and batted their eyelashes at him whenever they'd had a "convenient" moment alone, but try to engage them in actual conversation and they were like parrots, echoing large words they had heard other people use. 
> 
> Here was the alarming part. They had played their roles to perfection, allowing him to gently correct their insipid mistakes, trying to make him feel intelligent and a "real man's man". Then, when they thought he wasn't looking, there would be a measuring stare. 
> 
> Once, when he was very young, he had skipped his lesson to see where they were butchering the pigs. That night he had been unable to eat, remembering how the butcher had visibly sized up each pig before leading it to slaughter. 
> 
> The look in these princesses' eyes was the same. Not one of them made him feel like anything more than a piece of meat being fought over by a pack of wild dogs. 
> 
> It had gotten so bad, after almost six months without him at home, his parents had called him back, saying he needed to rest from so much strenuous travel. It was on the last stretch near home that his parents had sent the royal barge to port, loaded to the brim with supplies for a joyful homecoming. 
> 
> The prince sighed, garnering another look of exasperation from his tailor. How many times had he relived that night in his mind? Constantly musing, trying to wage a futile war against hope… 
> 
> Again, the thing he had noticed the most about the stranger—if, he had to remind himself, it wasn't a delusion brought on by swallowing too much sea water—was his or her eyes. They had been so expressive, with none of that gauging gaze he'd become so used to in the previous months. 
> 
> Someone could fall in love with those eyes, and the soul beckoning softly from behind them. 
> 
> *** 
> 
> The tailor had finally released him from his clutches, and Yamato was reminded about his daily fencing lesson, after a short detour to say good morning to his younger brother. Poor Takeru had looked uncharacteristically out of sorts as his private tutor lectured, not that Yamato could blame him. On a day like this, it was almost impossible not to chafe at the bonds that restrained them both. Takeru was an accommodating, generous soul, and he had most likely been censured while trying to help with the maids' preparations. 
> 
> A quick wave was enough to bring out a typically sunny expression on his younger brother's face, thankfully. _ Moodiness is my department, after all_, Yamato thought, not without a dry sense of humor. He walked along the familiar path, not even really paying more than cursory attention to his surroundings. 
> 
> When one is accustomed to beauty, sometimes it can pass unnoticed right under one's very nose. 
> 
> Something did catch the prince's attention as he meandered to the space in the training courtyard allotted for his private lessons. There was a shrewish voice filling the air, and Yamato couldn't help but wince at the dissonance. He could see her at the far end of the hall motioning wildly to some poor page that had incurred her wrath. 
> 
> "I don't know _why _they couldn't send me one of the other boys from the kitchen! 'Best and hardworking'? Hah! Most boys have the sense not to trip over the bucket more than once! I don't think you even have a brain in your head!! Now, go refill this bucket for the third time and make sure you move those clumsy feet out of its way. Don't think I don't remember what almost happened with the marble in the front hallway. Almost cost me my job, you did! I'd say you got off easy with a whipping, teach you to stand there like an idiot and soil his majesty's property—" 
> 
> On and on it went, with the poor boy's head only hanging lower and lower with each passing word. Yamato shook his head in amazement; he couldn't comprehend standing there quietly and just taking that sort of abuse. Then again, he had never been in the position where he had to take abuse of any real sort. 
> 
> This was getting ridiculous. 
> 
> Yamato decided to cut things off by making his presence known. With a not-so-subtle clearing of his throat he stepped into plain view of the women and the boy. She made an odd sort of choking sound in the back of her throat and pressed the other boy into a deep bow as she did the same thing. For one brief moment, Yamato wasn't sure if it was a boy or a girl, long and dark--almost a royal blue color--hair hiding his face. Yamato walked towards them with carefully measured steps, stopping only when he was in front of the woman. 
> 
> "Why are you abusing this boy?" He said with an air of almost careful detachment. 
> 
> "Begging milord's pardon, but I wasn't aware you was here." She managed to pass through trembling lips. 
> 
> "And why should it make a difference whether or not I was here?" He asked, still cold. 
> 
> "Well…" The woman was obviously another provincial sort, and Yamato could almost see the gears in her head turning as she considered whether or not the question was hypothetical. Finally it seemed as if she had made up her mind to answer. "Your majesty doesn't know how lazy this boy is. He almost cost me my job once, and yet the kitchen staff still keeps on sending him to me. I've heard he's good at turning the spits, but as far as I know, it's ALL he's good for. The boy is a simpleton, and the only way you can get him to listen to you is give his ears a verbal boxing…" 
> 
> Yamato turned, curious to see this simpleton first hand; only to find the boy in question had vanished as the woman talked. The young woman had noticed too, and her displeasure was scrawled over her face darkly. 
> 
> "You see what I'm talking about, milord? Doesn't even have the sense to understand that _no one_ should leave the prince until he's dismissed you! I have no idea where he was brought up if it wasn't by wild animals…" 
> 
> Rather than being insulted by the other boy's untimely departure, Yamato felt strangely curious. It was something that, in all his years of a prince, had never happened to him. It seemed to be so deeply ingrained in people to wait to be dismissed by royalty that it was certainly an oddity to have someone seemingly outside the influence of such natural command. 
> 
> "What was that boy's name?" Yamato found himself disturbed by the smirk appearing briefly upon the woman's face; no doubt she assumed some sort of drastic punishment was going to befall the young boy. And then a look of bewilderment crossed her not-unattractive features. 
> 
> "I…don't really know, your highness." She admitted. "I've never heard anyone use a name for him…" 
> 
> *** 
> 
> "Hold!" The dark haired guard that had cradled him gently on that day so long ago, stood in his path, concern written clearly in his eyes for the merboy. To the merboy's surprise, his blond friend peeked out from behind a corner, looking equally disconcerted. It was rare for two friends to be assigned to the same watch; it made them lax in their duties. Of course with all the franticness that had been going on, it appeared someone had been less than careful about the schedules. 
> 
> "What's wrong, Little One?" The dark-haired guard asked, as if talking to a distraught younger brother. 
> 
> The merboy had trouble holding back a painful twinge of homesickness. To him, "Little One" had always been his younger brother. 
> 
> "The stupid wench been tongue-lashing you again?" The blond said darkly. "I wish Shin wouldn't assign you to her, but I suppose to him, all those bitches are one an' the same. He probably has no way of knowing the trouble she puts you through." 
> 
> "I'll tell you what," The dark-haired one said in a much smoother tone of voice. "With all the preparation going on around here, I'm sure I can get you assigned to something different. That way you won't have to put up with her. Perhaps something on the upper levels...Shin knows you're trustworthy enough, and they don't have such big heads about their duties up there." 
> 
> The merboy felt a sigh of relief bubble past his lips, knowing that these guards, at least, saw more than those down in the kitchens was almost enough to take away the sting of being treated in such a manner in front of the prince. 
> 
> *** 
> 
> "There_ is_ an opening…" Shin sighed, under the watchful gazes of the guards. Honestly, he didn't know what it was about the younger boy that made people so protective of him. These two acted more as if they were his bodyguards, rather than the prince's; they had even left while still on watch, and all Shin knew was that he wasn't going to bail them out if they were dumb enough to ignore their duties. 
> 
> Still, perhaps he could make sure their dinner portions were a bit larger tonight. 
> 
> "I was considering sending you up there, but it's a bit more difficult than holding a bucket for a maid." 
> 
> The merboy's eyes flashed angrily, over the months he had learned to read the human intonations better than he'd ever thought he could. Of course with understanding came irritation when people insisted upon treating him like a half-wit…especially those who should know better. 
> 
> Before he could register it, a hand flew towards his face and pinched his cheek roughly, as if Shin was admonishing a small child. 
> 
> "Don't give me that cheeky look; I wasn't inferring you couldn't handle it mentally. I just don't want you on those feet of yours any more than necessary." Shin exclaimed while the merboy rubbed his smarting cheek with a pouting stare. 
> 
> *** 
> 
> Prince Takeru sighed in childish exasperation; the whole palace was in a muddle—so much in fact, that his lunch was three hours late, and he was getting a bit crabby from hunger—as usual, the small boy had gotten lost in the shuffle. Any pleas for someone, anyone really, just to sit and talk to him were met with vague apologies. When, in a desperate attempt to find some way to participate in the activities—as young children are wont to do—he was gently rebuked for trying to do something "beneath him". 
> 
> Takeru scowled. All this over _one_ princess?! His older brother was right, they were more trouble than they were worth! Takeru was too young to understand what drove his parents to their obsession with getting his older brother married, but he observed first hand its effect on his brother. He found himself wishing that they would just leave him be. Yamato would find someone right for him, Takeru had no doubt of that. 
> 
> Suddenly, Takeru's attention was taken hostage by a youth carrying a huge bundle of sheets. Another chance! Takeru sidled up to the merboy-turned-human, turning on all the childish charm he was capable of. 
> 
> "Hey, I'll help you with that!" He exclaimed, nearly surprising the merboy into dropping his awkward load. The merboy peeked out from behind the sheets curiously, not even seeing anyone until he directed his eyes towards the floor. He was at a bit of a loss as to the proper thing to do. He recognized the boy from his encounter in the garden, and even if he hadn't, the thin gold circlet resting close to the young boy's forehead made it clear that this was a member of the royal family. 
> 
> "You're tall." Takeru said, matter-of-factly as he craned his neck in an attempt to get a good look at the merboy's face. The merboy wished he could explain that it wasn't so much that he was tall, just rather the prince was short. 
> 
> Royalty had taken some getting used to for the merboy. He'd never had to bow to anyone in his life, and he still didn't quite understand why people wasted their time standing around after the royal family was done speaking. Surely they should just leave and not take up any more of their precious time…He had learned that the simplest of their commands was considered law…surely that extended to the youngest of them as well. To refuse the boy could bring dire punishments. Perhaps even another beating. 
> 
> Not to mention, he didn't have any way of really refusing clearly. 
> 
> So the merboy took what seemed to be the best course of action: he smiled and motioned for the younger boy to follow him. Takeru, in response threw him a dazzlingly sunny grin, almost blinding in its intensity. 
> 
> The merboy almost stumbled when he opened the door to the first room, after having gotten used to his tiny hole in the wall down in the kitchens, it was almost impossible to believe that people could live in such decadence. The guest rooms were seldom used, for reasons previously explained, but they still were awe-inspiring, with beds that looked as if they could easily have enough room for five in them, silks in vibrant colors…it almost made one's eyes hurt. 
> 
> He wasn't here to gawk, he reminded himself harshly when the bundle of sheets almost slipped from his grasp; he had a job to do. And if he gave into his temptation to sit on the beds for a few minutes, to explore the feel of velvet between his fingers, caressing lightly, he was sure his little companion would understand… 
> 
> *** 
> 
> Seven rooms later, the merboy smiled at his young helper, who was diligently stacking sheets behind him, letting loose a steady stream of chatter all the while. For some reason, the younger boy reminded him of his youngest brother, and, even stranger, the pang of wistfulness at the thought was dimmed as he watched the young prince struggle with the sheets. 
> 
> Something about Prince Takeru seemed…different. The merboy had noticed the young boy's almost alarming interest in helping, even when he had figured out that the merboy couldn't exactly respond to the conversation. He didn't even converse with the merboy in a condescending tone, instead talking about anything that came to mind…the quality of the sheets, his teachers, his older brother… 
> 
> Almost as if he had never had anyone to talk to in his whole life. 
> 
> He seemed lonely. 
> 
> "Well, uh," The prince paused in consternation. "Do you have a name? I don't think it's very nice of me to keep on calling you "hey" or "you". Maybe if you gave me a hint I could figure it out!" He looked delighted at the thought of a game like that. 
> 
> Amazement crashed over the merboy to only disperse like gentle waves. He had always felt pretty accepted into his fold here, but the lack of a given name had left an empty spot he hadn't even quite been aware of until this moment. 
> 
> Amazing that this little boy could pick up on it so easily. 
> 
> Amazing that he even cared in the first place… 
> 
> The merboy felt a desperate affection building to a crescendo as he shook his head. 
> 
> "No, as in 'I don't have a name', or no, as in 'I don't want you to guess"?" The prince asked. The merboy nodded in reply, causing to the young prince to chuckle. 
> 
> "Now you're just confusing me! Let me put it this way: You don't have a name, do you?" 
> 
> The merboy nodded in response, and Takeru considered the older boy, "I don't think I'd really be good at naming anyone, because you're suppose to be given a name by your parents. I wonder why they didn't give you a name; it doesn't seem very fair." The younger boy paused, as if musing over what to say next. 
> 
> "How about I just call you "Jyou"? I think I can remember that one…" 
> 
> Jyou. 
> 
> "Stature", right? Of course, it had a few more meanings, but he thought that one was the most likely reason the younger boy had chosen it… It was just a simple observation that the other boy had noticed, and yet, at the same time, the newly dubbed "Jyou" couldn't help but smile. 
> 
> Jyou finally unfolded the sheets in his hands, a glimmer of an idea taking root in the back of his mind as he watched the stack of ever-growing linen behind his industrious little helper. Without even stopping to think if his idea would be proper, he let the clean sheet billow into the air, falling around the younger boy like a parachute. 
> 
> Takeru didn't move, just watched as the sheet came to rest gently on top of him, bewitched by the light sensation of air and linen meeting his upturned face. Without warning, the older boy tackled him gracefully—almost as if he was moving through water instead of air—so that the two of them fell back into the pile of sheets. Jyou began to tickle the wriggling Takeru-shaped bundle, the other boy's laughter washing over the two of them like the sunlight from the window behind them, a beautiful sound in the still, lazy air. 
> 
> The young prince would have to laugh for both of them. All Jyou could do was smile until he thought his face would split. He hadn't felt this happy since he had come here; for once his sacrifice seemed almost worth it. Even the steady pain in his legs seemed almost abated as he turned his full attention to tickling Takeru without mercy, a slightly musty smell wafting from the sheets as the two boys romped. 
> 
> How Jyou had known, he couldn't really say. It may have been the fact that he was the eldest of such a large family, and therefore had learned to read the needs of his younger brothers and sisters. 
> 
> There was no doubt that this was what Takeru needed; someone who wouldn't treat him as if the slightest touch would break him. Any fears to the contrary Jyou may have had were instantly dispelled when Takeru lifted his head to meet Jyou's eyes. 
> 
> Takeru's eyes were saturated with laughter, the sky blue irises and tousled sun-spun hair speaking to him just as clearly as any words ever could. Such a different reaction from his youngest brother's shy smile and deepening forest-green eyes, and yet, Jyou knew just as surely he had needed this little interlude just as much as Takeru had. He'd needed to hug and soothe a younger body, as he was so accustomed to doing for his younger siblings. He'd needed to make someone smile, and he had missed the look of sibling-like adoration emanating from wide, gentle eyes. 
> 
> He missed his younger siblings in a way that was almost physically painful. 
> 
> *** 
> 
> "Jyou?" Takeru turned back towards the other boy, childish worry clear in his gaze. There was something wrong; it seemed as with every passing room, it took Jyou longer to walk to the next. The radiant smile that had graced the older boy's lips had turned into a grimace as he…well, the closest word Takeru could think of was "limped", but it didn't quite describe Jyou's wincing, half-shuffling movements. 
> 
> Takeru slowed his pace to allow Jyou to catch up, only to stop short as the other boy collapsed with a dull thud against the cold marble, clenching his teeth while two twin rivers of silent tears etched a path down his cheeks. 
> 
> Jyou hated to admit it, but Shin had been right. If he had just held that damned bucket for the maid, then he certainly would have been down in the kitchens by now, and perhaps it wouldn't feel as if rodents had gnawed his feet into two bloody stumps. He felt the soles of his leather slippers begin to get sticky with blood as he attempted to sit up. Only to end up falling back sharply against the hard floor and banging his head so hard his ears began to ring. He tried again, only distantly aware of the frantic little boy kneeling next to him. 
> 
> With Takeru's small arms around his shoulders, he managed to gain enough purchase to inspect the crimson pooling underneath his feet. Panic began to bubble up deep within as he noticed the puddle spreading at a rapid rate; he glanced around wildly, looking for something to mop up the spill with. The only things in sight were the royal bedsheets, and Jyou knew he couldn't use those. 
> 
> Takeru didn't understand at first when the older boy shrugged out of his grip and began to pull off his shirt, wincing as if the slightest movement sent earthquake-size tremors of pain rumbling throughout his body. Realization shook him as he watched Jyou bundle his shirt up and press it to the blood-soaked marble. 
> 
> Mopping his blood up with his own shirt. 
> 
> Takeru's breath caught in his throat, tears threatening to overflow those innocent crystal-blue eyes of his. 
> 
> "Stop it!" The words shot forcefully from his mouth of their own accord, a rarity from the boy who had such difficulty commanding people, and he stopped Jyou's hand with his own in a single, violent motion. Glaring—though obviously not angry at the merboy—he grabbed up a pile of sheets and thrust them upon the widening stain, using them to wipe up the blood. 
> 
> Jyou could only watch in confusion as the young prince, still frowning, grabbed the corner of another sheet and bit at it, his sharp teeth allowing him to start a tear at its edge. Ripping the fine linen into strips he went down to Jyou's feet, bandaging them as best he could. His ten year-old fingers shook as he carefully extracted Jyou's swollen feet from his leather shoes to better swaddle his feet. 
> 
> Finally, the blood flow abated somewhat, silence settling over the huge hallway as if they were the only two people in the entire castle. 
> 
> "Do you think you can make it to my room?" Takeru finally asked. "It's not far from here..."   
  
  

> 
> **End of Part Five**   
**To be continued…**


	7. Part Six

waves06   


> **Waves Upon the Sand**
> 
>   
  

> 
> The maid making Takeru's bed made a half-strangled screech as her young lord came stumbling in, all but carrying an older boy with the remains of what looked to be bloody bed sheets swaddled clumsily around his lower calves. She opened her mouth with a sputtering gasp. 
> 
> "M-m-milord?" 
> 
> Takeru turned to face her with an uncharacteristically sharp glance. "There's blood in the hallway. I need you to go clean it up." He said with quiet firmness that utterly belied his ten years. Not unlike Jyou's youngest brother, Takeru was walking that sharp edge between childhood and adulthood. Usually the boy was quiet and shy, tending to get lost in the crowd, but every once and a while he would remind people that he was truly a prince. 
> 
> Without even stopping to think about it, the maid hastened to do as the young prince commanded, even as Takeru moved Jyou to his bed. Now that the room was empty, Takeru knelt down to inspect the other boy's feet, wincing at the caked blood and swelling on the lower portion of his feet. 
> 
> "Stay there." He insisted as he saw the merboy make a move as if to rise. The prince disappeared into another room on the side, so Jyou busied himself with catalogue the slight differences in this room and Prince Yamato's. Both were obviously designed in a similar fashion, but still… For one thing, the darker colors seemed more muted, the bedspread of a lighter blue rather than the deeper royal blue of his older brother's. Although, Jyou honestly couldn't tell if it was something different in their personal tastes, or if he wasn't remembering Prince Yamato's room clearly. 
> 
> He rather suspected it was the former. Just as the two princes superficially resembled one another, there were differences easy to discern if one just looked. The younger prince's eyes were of a more muted blue, and his hair almost the color of warm hay. He radiated an air of comfort, and it was in that respect that their rooms shared their differences. 
> 
> In Prince Yamato's room, one had to look very carefully for signs that it was even occupied. Only a few wild glances, stolen in fear, had even led him to entertain otherwise, the bedcovers not quite as smooth, obviously slept in. Certain wear on the furniture…it was disturbing he couldn't remember anything else. It had been so long. 
> 
> In contrast, the younger prince's room was bright with character. A few toys tucked into a corner. His sword thrown haphazardly on the couch near the center of the room, and a few cast-iron soldiers still in an attack position against some unknown enemy. It told him much about its occupant. 
> 
> The younger boy returned quickly with a gigantic basin, almost larger than he was, of what looked to be warm water. Warm water was a rarity for the servant boys in the castle, as their bathing privileges came after nearly everyone else, the shared bathwater was often dirty and tepid by the time their turns came around. By the time Takeru made it to the edge of the bed, however, most of the warm water had slopped from the basin on to his tunic, and he looked down with a bewildered expression at his sodden shirt, as if wondering exactly how the water had gotten there in the first place. 
> 
> Jyou watched in surprise as the prince actually went down on his knees and began to scrub the caked blood from his feet, as if was the most natural position in the world for a person of his station. 
> 
> Takeru's hands weren't as soothing as Shin's, for example, but Jyou found any extra pain he felt was offset by the good intentions emanating from the younger boy. He was doing his best to be gentle. 
> 
> The water turned a pale pink as Jyou's bloodstained feet regained a semblance of normalcy, and both merboy and prince gave a sigh of relief. Jyou was always scared when his feet began to bleed like that; what if, though his carelessness he had damaged them beyond repair? Then the little use he had in the palace would be utterly wiped out. He hardly thought—no matter how much the kitchen staff liked him—they could afford to be charitable to someone that couldn't pull their own weight. 
> 
> He would end up out on the city streets, scrounging for food. Not unlike the paupers that came begging at the back of the kitchen. Shuu would feed them on the sly until he honestly had to begin to turn them away, but Jyou watched them as they came knocking, the despair time-etched into their eyes. 
> 
> He never wanted to end up like that. 
> 
> "I wish you could talk." Takeru's voice broke him from his musings. "I don't understand why anyone would choose to be a servant when _this_ happens to their feet if they work; I wish you could tell me. Does your family work here?" 
> 
> Jyou shook his head, and the younger boy went silent as he chased his own train of thought. 
> 
> "_Prince Takeru_!" The scandalized voice made both Takeru and Jyou jump guiltily, nearly upsetting the basin of water. Jyou's eyes widened as the dark-haired man stalked over to them both and forced Takeru to his feet. He had never seen this strange man before; obviously he was too high in the social order to spend any time consorting with the guards or people of the kitchen. Takeru seemed to be familiar with him though, given the way he fixed a sour gaze upon him. 
> 
> "The Tachikawa family has arrived, and I was sent to make sure you were suitably prepared to greet them…and here I find you—you, actually kneeling before _this_?!" With that, the young man motioned to Jyou as if he was something Takeru had found rolling around in the mud out in the gardens. "You're not even dressed yet! Where is that maid? She was supposed to be here thirty minutes ago!!" 
> 
> "I sent her out to clean up the blood." Takeru said, almost sullenly. "Anyway, I'm sure that it's of little importance whether or not I attend the ceremony. After all, the princess isn't here to see _me_." 
> 
> Jyou found it interesting the way Takeru's dialogue became more formal as he talked to the stranger. He had thought it odd before that the young prince seemed so relaxed in his tone and patterns of speech, and now he realized that Takeru was almost unconsciously setting himself apart from the other man. Jyou wisely decided to muse upon it later, as the man had decided to grace Jyou with his irate stare. 
> 
> "You're a stable boy, aren't you? No, judging by the clothing, I'd be more like to say kitchen boy. What are you doing on the upper level of the castle?!" Without even waiting for a reply, even if there had been one forthcoming, the man walked over to the door and called to someone waiting outside, most likely one of the guards that had just arrived on shift—Jyou had been surprised to see the prince's room so laxly guarded when they had first stumbled in. "Go get me Shin. _Right now_!" 
> 
> Jyou fidgeted, wanting nothing more than to sink into the bed sheets and somehow escape this nightmarish situation. Even his first run-in with the guards had been nothing like this; they had seemed more bewildered than angry, as if they didn't know what to make of the situation. This courtier, on the other hand, was going so far as to get his supervisor involved. 
> 
> Takeru looked equally disconcerted and unsure of what to do. He was sitting on the floor next to the bed, arm clasping one of Jyou's aching legs tenderly, as if to subtly give comfort even while he derived some for himself. There was no doubt in Jyou's mind that the younger prince would probably have someone to answer to also, but they would do well to face it together rather than separately. 
> 
> *** 
> 
> It took a few minutes for Shin to arrive from overseeing the preparations down in the kitchen, but when he finally did, Jyou was relieved to see that Shin didn't look annoyed or irked. Rather, there was a palpable air of calm detachment emanating from the man, as if he had gone through this sort of thing before. He gave the other man nothing but a curt bow before staring him in straight in the face. 
> 
> Jyou only realized it was purposeful when he saw how it unnerved the other man. Obviously, he wasn't used to those of "lower rank" meeting his gaze. "Lower rank" was a common misnomer associated with Shin; as acting doctor to most of the servants in the castle, and head cook, his rank put him on par with most of the courtiers in the castle, but because he had a tendency to fraternize with those he served, people thought he was more subordinate than he really was. 
> 
> "Yes?" Shin asked in that impeccably dry tone of his. "You felt the need to drag me from a delicate situation to inform me that one of my boys was exactly where I had sent him?" 
> 
> That wasn't quite true, but Jyou felt a flood of cool relief run through him. He was sure that Shin would have some less than choice words for him later on, but for now it looked as if he was willing to defend his charge. 
> 
> "So, you ordered the boy to come into the prince's bedroom?" The other man countered, a harsh edge to his voice. Shin's eyebrows arched in a delicate motion. 
> 
> "No. But I'm assuming that the prince was the one who brought him here in the first place. If they happen to run into one another on the upper floors, it's hardly my concern—" 
> 
> It took a moment for the merboy to fully comprehend what happened next. At first, all he heard was a sharp crack, like a small lightning bolt, and he didn't realize why Shin's cheek was slowly turning cherry red, of how a small stream of crimson suddenly formed at the corner of his mouth. 
> 
> The courtier had belted Shin across the face. 
> 
> "Anything that could possibly harm one of the princes _is_ your concern." The courtier exclaimed coldly. "If that threat could come from one of your boys, then it would mean hanging for you, and most likely your brother. I don't need you to give me any of your 'holier-than-thou' attitude, especially when you have nothing to do with anything above your station. You have no idea, because the only thing you serve are wastes of flesh like that boy over there. If someone were to kill him tomorrow, you would probably be the only one to care. I, on the other hand, take my duty as the captain of the official royal bodyguard with the gravity it merits." 
> 
> It went on from there, Shin's eyes glazing over in pure hatred-forged steel, as he remained silent under the verbal onslaught. 
> 
> It was a message, Jyou finally realized. A message not even directed at Shin, but at himself…to show him how low he really was in the overall scheme of things. The mere fact that they could take his superior and give him a tongue-lashing in from of him was only supposed to reinforce the message by further diminishing any rank Jyou felt he had. 
> 
> Takeru was shaking, Jyou noted dimly as he watched the horrifying power play spread out in front of him, the vibrations were traveling up his leg, and the younger boy's grip had become dully painful. 
> 
> "_Enough!!_" Takeru leapt to his feet, the anger reflected in his eyes putting both of the other men to shame. He pointed to the captain with a jerking motion, his other small hand balled into a tight fist. "If you honestly believe that I couldn't defend myself against Jyou, then you should be downstairs haranguing my swords master, not the head of the kitchen!! This little display is making me sick!" 
> 
> Perhaps the two brothers were more similar than Jyou had previously thought, Jyou admitted as his mind went back to the very first time he had met Prince Yamato on the shore. 
> 
> Something like amusement surfaced briefly on Shin's face, as he mouthed "_Jyou?_" in the sudden silence that had overtaken the room. 
> 
> "Well now, your highness, you certainly put it more eloquently than I ever could," Shin finally spoke. "And now that this has been settled, I will be taking…Jyou…back with me down to the kitchens. He has work to do, and I should really inspect those legs of his just to make sure he's really all right." Takeru noted that the words were only half meant in jest, and that the head of the kitchens was truly grateful that he had intervened as both Jyou and Shin gave a low bow before departing. 
> 
> Leaving him all alone with the captain. 
> 
> *** 
> 
> "Your father will have to hear about this." The captain warned as soon as they were gone. "It would have been best had you let me finish, milord. It would teach them to think twice before associating with you so easily." 
> 
> "Perhaps I would rather them not think twice." Takeru exclaimed quietly as the maid outfitted him in his finest dinner clothing. 
> 
> "What a ridiculous thing to say! Not only is it dangerous, but it also isn't proper for a boy of your station in life. You sound like your brother at his worst; I don't understand why he just can't be happy with the lot fate gave him…" The captain was speaking with much familiarity, but if anyone had a right, Takeru supposed it would be him. He got overprotective to an obnoxious extreme upon occasion, but one couldn't help remember that this was a man that had watched both him and his brother grow up, setting a protective and loving eye on the two of them that only his parents could match… 
> 
> "Perhaps I'm just hungry…" Takeru finally said, in half-excuse. Even though he knew that he didn't mean it. 
> 
> "Well, that we can take care of in a matter of hours! Those good-for-nothings should have the welcoming feast done soon; I'm sure our guests are as ravenous as you are." 
> 
> *** 
> 
> "'Jyou', huh?" Shin smiled as he held the ice pack to his face. 
> 
> "I never thought I'd see the day when I was doctoring you." Shuu exclaimed from where he was overseeing the final preparations. "Now, quit talking or it'll just get worse." 
> 
> "Hey, Ryo! Turn the boar_ faster_; otherwise it'll get burned. That's the tenth time I've had to tell you today." 
> 
> "Sorry Shuu!" The boy with the gravity-defying chestnut locks ran his fingers through his hair self-consciously, inwardly wishing he was back in the stables instead of filling in for some much needed help in the kitchens. The bustling around always made him feel sort of nervous, like there wasn't enough air in the room. He much preferred his open spaces, another reason why he didn't seem to be able to stay long in one place. "I'm just not used to this sort of thing!" He added as an afterthought. 
> 
> Shuu sighed, knowing getting irked with the boy was useless. If they hadn't been short on help, they wouldn't have even begun recruiting the stable boys in the first place; it wasn't Ryo's fault. 
> 
> "Hey, Jyou," Jyou's eyes widened ever so slightly at Shuu's words, amazed at how quickly his new name had been picked up. "Go over there and help Ryo. You're more experienced at the spits, and I don't think it'll be too much of a strain on those feet of yours." 
> 
> Jyou hastened to make his way over to the fires, earning a dirty look from one of the other cooks when he almost ended upsetting a batch some sort of pastry on its way to the oven when he fell right in front of him. He managed to make it to the other boy's side without any more incidences and took his place at the spits. 
> 
> Ryo stared at the other dark haired youth as the light from the roaring fires made shadows dance across his pale face. 
> 
> Jyou turned with a steady motion, trying not to let the strange boy know how much the attention disconcerted him. Most didn't even bother to give him more than a cursory glance, and to have so much concentration fixated on him at one time made him feel ill at ease. Without warning, the boy spoke. 
> 
> "Do you ever hang around the stables, Jyou?" His tone seemed friendly enough, and then Ryo smiled through the overwhelming heat before wiping his brow. "You look really familiar, like I've seen you around before, but I just can't place it…" 
> 
> Jyou shook his head in a silent reply. He may have been by the stables once or twice on business, but he had never found any reason to linger. He had a feeling the horses just didn't like him, judging by their reaction to him. Or perhaps they were just skittish. In any case, he still wasn't very comfortable around the large animals. 
> 
> "Hmm…don't talk much, do you?" Ryo seemed a little put off by the other boy's silence. 
> 
> This was another one of those times Jyou desperately wanted to explain that it wasn't so much that he was not willing to talk, but rather he couldn't. 
> 
> Another kitchen boy passing by must have noticed Jyou's plight because he turned to Ryo and exclaimed, "Don't get on him if he doesn't talk, Ryo. He's mute." Ryo looked slightly discomfited at the other boy's words; he shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. 
> 
> "I'm sorry…" He exclaimed before lapsing into an easy silence, watching Jyou's graceful movements closely, as if trying to puzzle something out. 
> 
> *** 
> 
> As with the rest of the castle, the architects for the reception room had done their best to intertwine beauty with grandeur with use of immense space and exquisitely arched columns. Banners of a forest green hung from the aches, providing the room with an illusion of coolness, even though its closed off nature made it sweltering. 
> 
> Yamato surreptitiously adjusted his collar for the fifth time that evening, inwardly telling himself that next time he would follow his tailor's demands to keep still. There was nothing worse than a set of clothing that didn't fit quite right, and of course, there was always the fact that formal attire made him sweat atrociously anyway. He also quashed an urge to scratch himself in a less than princely manner as the typical forms of decorum were played out right in front of him. 
> 
> The princess, from what he could see, was lovely. Then again, they all were aesthetically pleasing to the eye. That still didn't mean this one had any more of a brain than the others. Poor Takeru, on the other hand, couldn't seem to keep his eyes off of her. Her dress was of a pearlish pink hue—cutely elegant, an oxymoron of a high degree—that reflected the light ever so slightly and drew attention to her luxurious auburn hair and coffee colored eyes. 
> 
> Yamato had forgotten that this would be his first time seeing a princess in years, and it could be like overindulging in fine wine for the first time. He made a mental note to tease his younger brother next time they had some private time alone about his "crush". Gently, of course. But he still had to let Takeru know that he did have an older brother upon occasion, after all. 
> 
> Yamato raised one delicate eyebrow in a gentle description of bewilderment. Had Queen Tachikawa actually just…_giggled_? Yes, there it went again. It wasn't really unpleasant, just rather odd to hear such a light, tittering flutter pass through royalty's lips. His own mother had a beautiful and deep chuckle, rarely heard. She was more the type to lavish her approval in gentle smiles. Earning a quiet laugh from her was one of the highest honors one could hope to achieve, unless you happened to be a member of the family. Then she was much less sparing with her laughter. 
> 
> He wondered if the habit of giggling carried over to the Tachikawa daughter? 
> 
> Yamato was shaken from his musings when he saw his father smile and motion towards the banquet hall. It was getting late, and the feasting would go on for several hours, so it was best to get started right away as to not overwhelm their guests completely. They were surely tired from their journey, and after their appetites had been satiated, they were no doubt looking forward to going to bed. 
> 
> After they had been escorted into the dining hall, Yamato groaned inwardly as he noticed the girl taking a seat at the huge and intricately carved oaken table that happened to be right next to his own. He could only pray that things weren't going to get started this early. He had run out of stock replies to blatant stupidity in the months previous, and was unsure he could actually bring himself to make small talk without being rude. 
> 
> The meal started with soup, and Yamato had to restrain himself from moving back as the girl shifted towards him and opened her mouth. 
> 
> "It's delicious." 
> 
> Yamato blinked. 
> 
> "Wha—?" He managed to croak. 
> 
> "I was just complimenting you on the soup." The girl explained, slightly bemused and hiding a giggle underneath her tone. "I don't think I've ever tasted this sort of fish…" 
> 
> "Well, our cook is wonderful. I think he's the finest on this side of the continent." Yamato found himself responding. "Wait until you try the main course. I don't exactly know what has been going on in the kitchen, I just know that the meat has been extra tender as of late, as if they've been doing something differently while they cooked it." 
> 
> Either the girl was a bit flighty, or this was the oddest attempt at flirtation Yamato had ever witnessed. Strangely enough, he found himself opening up to the younger girl once he figured out that, even though her topic of conversation might be a bit…unique, at least she wasn't gauging him with her innocent-looking eyes. 
> 
> Still, he had to wonder, as he shot a concerned glance towards his younger brother, exactly what was preying on Takeru's mind tonight. Had something happened? He seemed a thousand leagues away, lost in his own world. 
> 
> *** 
> 
> Jyou savored the delicate pastry that had been handed out to all the kitchen boys in lieu of a feast of their own. He'd never tasted anything quite like the flaky and sweet morsel before him and he was determined to make it last longer than some of the other boys, who had gulped theirs down in a matter of minutes. 
> 
> He made his way back to his room, passing other dark shapes in the near utter darkness of the halls. Some were most likely other boys on their way to their chambers; others were the latest shifts of guards going down to the kitchen for their dinner. Jyou paid them no mind as he milked the delicate flavor for all it was worth. Perhaps he would even have enough left to save some to eat when he made his traditional trip down to the fountains that night. 
> 
> Something slammed him into the wall, the roughly hewn stone digging into his back as he blinked rapidly to try and grasp his situation. He tried to move away from the wall, only to discover two hands keeping his shoulders firmly in place. He squirmed, trying to rid himself of the hostile grip, or in the very least see who was assaulting him in the first place. 
> 
> Then, the person spoke. 
> 
> "I think I finally remembered where I first met you,_ Jyou_." Harsh and cold. 
> 
> And Jyou felt an icy spear of fear dig deep and begin to worm its way in a freezing stream down his spine.   
  
  

> 
> **End of Part Six**   
**To be continued…**
> 
>   
  
  



	8. Part Seven

waves07

> **** ****
> 
> **Waves Upon the Sand**
> 
>   

> 
> The dinner was going much better than Yamato had previously thought it would. It wasn't so much that he had found Princess Mimi to be that much more intellectual than the princesses he had interacted with before, but more rather that she was truly a charming individual. Sure, he sometimes resisted the urge to lower his face into his hands when she attempted to join a conversation she knew nothing about—her views on politics were interesting, to say the least—but keep her in an area in which she was experienced, and one couldn't have a more amiable companion. 
> 
> His parents seemed to be enjoying the company of the other royal family, and his father hadn't looked this healthy in many months. Yamato couldn't quite hear the topic of conversation, but both the kings chuckled quietly over near the head of the table. Yamato was only a few seats down, but the noise was absolutely deafening; the hall was filled to the brim with all the major and minor lords from all the surrounding cities. 
> 
> Like most well brought up princesses, Mimi at least sampled everything on her plate, but was careful to leave most of it for the servants to take away. All Yamato knew of it was his mother talking about how it "kept your figure", or something like that. He didn't know the specifics, nor cared, only dimly gave thanks he was a boy so that he could savor his food, and people wouldn't look oddly at him if he polished off plateful after plateful. 
> 
> Even he was getting full, though. Looking around at the sluggish movements of most of the guests, he could tell they felt the same way. Takeru still looked as if he could stay up for a few hours yet. Then again, after cleaning his first few plates ravenously—Yamato assumed that the servants had forgotten to bring Takeru lunch, and rather than ordering a servant to bring it to him, he had just gone without—he had picked at the rest in a worrying manner. Mimi herself was growing even chattier as the night went on, and for the first time Yamato felt frustration gnawing at him. 
> 
> Small talk wasn't something he excelled at, and after the obvious topics concerning dinner had been discussed, Mimi was quizzing him on his kingdom's fashions. As if he knew. This was the same prince that would wear his clothes to rags if need be, who got out of sorts if the servants threw away his most frayed tunic at his mother's orders. Mimi was taking his shrugs of irritation with good humor and Yamato finally felt guilty at the rude way he was treating the younger girl. Mustering a smile from his almost completely tapped reserves of good grace, he asked her if she would care for a tour of the gardens after the feasting was finished. 
> 
> She accepted with a sweetly whimsical smile, and Yamato could only hope that she didn't think it would lead to other things. 
> 
> *** 
> 
> Takeru took another small bite of the tender sauce-drenced meat before pushing it away from himself in an abrupt motion. It was no use. 
> 
> How odd that most of the first part of the day he had spent wishing he had something to eat...he had been beginning to think that he wouldn't mind eating some of the crusts of bread he fed the ducks earlier, and now, when there was plenty, he had completely lost his appetite. 
> 
> Takeru had never been allowed to come in close contact with the servants, at least not close enough to know anything about them. He had always wondered why his brother was given relative freedom concerning this matter, while people had a tendency to keep him at arm's length. Now he thought he knew. 
> 
> Takeru couldn't keep that distance needed to be able to actually _command_ with any sort of regal bearing. He cared too much. Granted, a good leader had to care about his people, but—Takeru allowed himself a slightly bitter grin that made him seem far older than he really was—not to the point where it would interfere with vitally important things. Such as their general health. Takeru had a feeling he could make himself sick worrying over that kitchen boy, but even recognizing such a thing didn't help alleviate any of the worry gnawing at his stomach in the place of hunger. 
> 
> Had the boy been whipped because of Takeru's foolishness? Punished in some other way? That was the problem; Takeru didn't know and had no way to find out. When he had tried to make inquiries as the servant set his plate down, the young man had turned to him with a bewildered expression. 
> 
> "I don't work closely with the cooks, your highness; I'm usually a groundskeeper." He explained. "And all the kitchen boys look alike to me; I honestly couldn't tell you if something had happened to one of them today, milord." 
> 
> Takeru had managed to smile, inwardly upset over the fact that feasts always meant some of the staff doing a double duty that day. How was he supposed to gather information if the people serving him honestly didn't have a clue what he was talking about? The next person he had asked just shrugged humbly and explained that he didn't know any of the particular boys' names. 
> 
> It looked as if Takeru was going to have to take matters into his own hands. 
> 
> He took a nervous drink of the wine before him, feeling slightly queasy at the thought of his current plans. He could remember, with shocking clearness, the first time Yamato had popped into his room unawares in the middle of the night, nearly frightening him to death. Yamato had sat on the edge of his bed and explained in a low voice just how he had managed to sneak past the guards. Takeru, of course, had exclaimed that he had no use for the information, but Yamato had insisted. "To at least be aware of the chinks in our own defenses." He had said. Takeru had absorbed the knowledge, even while feeling extraordinarily guilty. If he was caught out of his bed, he knew beyond the shadow of a doubt, that the guards on duty would get blamed. 
> 
> Timing was everything. There was a different shift moving in every hour on the hour, as security was doubled when the royal family slept. Before the guards took their post at the door, they would enter the room as silently as possible, checking the perimeter for intruders. 
> 
> "They'll never get too close to your bed, so a pillow under the sheets will fool them every time. Don't hide underneath the bed or they'll catch you." 
> 
> The trick to it was to be in back of the door when it opened, wait until their backs were turned, and then rush out into the hall. Getting in was a bit trickier, and involved utilizing the long tapestries that hung in the hallways to keep out the drafts. You had to be there in plenty of time, moving so slowly underneath that the guards wouldn't register the movement, and then repeat the same actions in reverse. 
> 
> _Why can't you just wait until morning?_ A dissenting voice, most likely his strong common sense, asked as he watched various noblemen and women from the city make small talk around him, as if he didn't even exist. There were no other children at this dinner. 
> 
> _Because they won't tell me._ As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he knew it was true. If he asked later on, they would feign ignorance, or tell him what they thought he wanted to hear. It was something he had always been aware of, but never had it grated so harshly against him before. 
> 
> The feast was breaking up, people excusing themselves to head to their rooms, nearly tripping over one another in a drunken stupor. Takeru noticed Yamato hesitantly offer his arm to the princess and both began to walk in the general direction of the gardens. 
> 
> Takeru honestly thought that she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Skin like the peaches and cream they had for dessert on summer nights, a vivacious and cheery look to her eye…certainly she couldn't be like the other princesses his brother talked about so bitterly. Takeru couldn't see anything measuring in her gaze, but perhaps that was just because he was already mesmerized by her smile. 
> 
> Of course, she would probably only pay cursory attention to Takeru, but just because a rose doesn't caress you as you admire it doesn't mean that there's any need to feel bitter about it. 
> 
> Takeru took another gulp of his wine to steel himself before pardoning himself to his room as well. Enough about Princess Mimi, he had plans to make. 
> 
> *** 
> 
> Jyou continued to squirm in the other boy's grasp, feeling scrapes beginning to form along his shoulder blades from the uneven stone beneath him. This stretch of the hallway was dark, the lamp having burned itself out a few hours ago, and Jyou hadn't recognized the voice of the stranger. 
> 
> Then, without warning, he was released. The merboy gasped for breath until he noticed the other person had fallen to his knees. 
> 
> "It's no good." There was no anger in this boy's tone now; only sadness and what seemed to be a bit of reproach towards himself. "I suppose I was hoping you were faking it, that you could talk…maybe then you could explain what happened that one night. You can't, can you?" 
> 
> Jyou shook his head, wondering if the boy could even see it. Now the voice sounded familiar, when it wasn't laced with rage. Ryo? Yes, it was the stable boy he had met today down at the spits…and, the merboy searched his memories, could he have possibly been the boy down in the gardens?! 
> 
> _A likely possibility, given his reaction…_ Jyou thought, a tad dryly, upset with himself for not figuring it out sooner. 
> 
> "Well then, you won't mind if I try to talk to you, do you? I need _someone_ to talk to…maybe if I just say everything out loud, it'll all come together." 
> 
> Jyou nodded and motioned to his room nearby; he wouldn't mind some information himself. 
> 
> Once they reached the merboy's small hole in the wall, Jyou politely motioned for Ryo to take a seat on his small straw pallet. It would be a bit cozy, but they should be able to both sit down. Ryo ran his hands through his hair again, a habitual gesture of nervousness, the merboy realized. Jyou hadn't noticed before, but Ryo also sported long hair, tied back neatly with a strip of leather. He couldn't help but wonder what the other boy would look with it down. Was that why Yamato had been drawn to him in the first place? Was it his personality? Jyou couldn't say… 
> 
> "Well," Ryo was beginning, and Jyou turned his full attention to the other boy. "I wasn't planning on staying here very long anyway, just a couple of weeks. Hard to believe I've been here going on a year…to tell you the truth, I'm on a quest." 
> 
> Ryo's eyes sparkled vivaciously in the dimness of the light radiated by one of the freshly relit lamps from the hall. 
> 
> "I'm going to find my father." The younger stretched out in a lounging position, hands on the back of his head. He seemed lost in a bittersweet recollection judging by the far off look in his eyes. "You know, the people in my village said he wasn't even human…said they found him on the shore one day and my mother took him in." He shrugged carelessly. "Who knows…I just want to meet him…" 
> 
> He turned to face the merboy, a slightly embarrassed expression on his face, as if he had been rambling on something no one else could find to be of interest. 
> 
> "But enough about that. I suppose I stayed for so long because I met Yamato." 
> 
> Jyou's eyebrows raised at the familiarity in the other boy's tone, and he had to quash an oddly virulent upsurge of envy. Ryo either didn't notice or ignored the look on the other boy's face, because he continued after a short pause. 
> 
> "Maybe it was just...I don't know, I wanted to rescue him or something. He always seemed so unhappy, I couldn't really understand why, but he did. Even after he left to go to those other countries—without a word to me—I stayed. I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye, which is real funny, because he obviously had no problem doing it to me..." Ryo's smile turned brittle, and he blinked rapidly, as if the flickering of the lamp was hurting his eyes. 
> 
> "I don't know if it was love, or infatuation...all I know is that it...it really—it really hurts. He hasn't spoken to me for weeks; that night, it was as if something had broken, and we were seening one another for the very first time, like someone had cleaned the dirt-stained pane of glass constantly hovering between us. We took a good look at one another, and realized we were strangers. I would never fully understand him; I couldn't _be_ there for him. And there were things he would never know about me, things I couldn't explain or tell him...like a couple of five year-olds playing at being in love..." Ryo curled up on his side, and after a moments hesitation, Jyou wrapped his arms around the younger boy. He could actually feel the boy's pain, how desperately he struggled with himself not to cry. 
> 
> In the end, pride won out. Ryo took a deep shuddering breath and sat up, plastering a rakish grin from ear to ear. 
> 
> "I'm leaving tomorrow...I just was hoping you might have known what happened. I thought you might be that stranger Yamato mentioned to me once when he got back. He only said something really quick, and then shrugged me off when I tried to ask any more. That's just the way it was between us, I guess." Ryo stood up, a stark outline in the doorway. 
> 
> "Oh," He turned back to Jyou, face hidden. "Be careful, Jyou...he _burns_." 
> 
> "Once you get a taste, you'll never be full, and I don't know if there's anyone he can actually love. He never said it to me, even at the beginning. You're a wick, and he's the flame...but until the candle burns down, you'll be in heaven. If you get your chance...savour it." 
> 
> Even had he been able, Jyou didn't think he would have been able to say anything at that moment. 
> 
> *** 
> 
> Yamato led the princess to their royal fountains, noting how her eyes lit up appreciatively as she circled the massive base. The water spraying high into the air fell upon the pool below with a rhythmic sound, like music. The night sky was a swash of velvet, diamonds like pure white pinpricked studded throughout. 
> 
> _It was a night made for romance…or sappy clichés. _ Yamato thought dryly. Personally, he liked rainy days; the thought of burrowing under the covers with someone he cared for, wrapped in a warm embrace as lightning raged outside, and rain poured down from the heavens in torrents, creating waterfalls in miniature cascading down the windowpane… 
> 
> Yamato couldn't help but turn his thoughts to Ryo, feeling ashamed as the young girl's giggles filled the air; he shouldn't be thinking about him at a time like this. 
> 
> This was the kind of night he would have snuck out to meet him, though…they would have met right here, as opposed to their first time in the stables. Ryo had kept him sane for so many months, and Yamato had certainly betrayed him for his kindness. Yet what was Yamato supposed to do? Pretend things hadn't changed that one night? Keep on lying to himself and to Ryo? 
> 
> The night they had first met, Yamato had been planning to run away. He had gone to get his horse, only to be met with an angry—and newly awoken—stable boy. Ryo had tackled him to the dirt floor, assuming that this intruder was trying to steal one of the royal horses. It had taken a few harsh cuffs upside the head for Yamato to finally exclaim in a loud voice that it was the prince this strange boy was beating black and blue. Afterwards, Ryo had been all apologies, prostrating himself on the ground and looking absolutely mortified. 
> 
> Yamato, strangely enough, hadn't been angry…just captivated by the brash young man. There was something special about him, Yamato couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it was there. Ryo had always laughingly said he was the son of a man called "Gennai", he'd also half-seriously claimed that his father hadn't been human, as if that explained everything…sometimes Yamato could almost believe it. 
> 
> "Yamato? Is there something that matter?" Mimi's sweetly curious voice broke the spell over the prince and he murmured something like "No, not really…" 
> 
> "This fountain is amazing; I've never seen anything like it." Yamato listened for that slight inflection he'd heard so many other times, that little tone that let you know they were being patronizing, and came up with nothing. She was being sincere. 
> 
> Yamato heard a slightly unladylike grunt and turned to face the princess. She was trying, unsuccessfully, to scrabble up the side of the fountain, no doubt wanting to sit upon the edge. Yamato gauged her process quietly, until she finally gave up and turned to face him. Mimi put her hands on her hips and—for the first time that night—scowled. 
> 
> "You aren't being very helpful!" She exclaimed, shaking her finger in Yamato's general direction. Yamato stifled a chuckle and went over to the young lady. 
> 
> "I'm sorry, I wasn't aware you were requesting my assistance." He couldn't help the laughter in his voice, just something about seeing the other girl riled up…he wasn't trying to be mean, or cold, it just reminded him of his younger brother's lectures upon occasion. There was that same sense of gravity about the girl, and it was humorous because she was so young. Luckily, Mimi didn't seem to take offense at his breach in etiquette. 
> 
> After helping her up on to the massive rim, Yamato hauled himself up and plopped down right next to her, feeling drops of water along the back of his neck, cold for one brief second before playfully sliding down past his collar. 
> 
> "So how old is it?" Mimi finally asked. 
> 
> "How old is what?" Yamato replied. 
> 
> "The fountain, silly!" 
> 
> "Well, it's been a part of the royal gardens for ten generations, at least. Legend has it that it was made in honor of one of my ancestors, a daughter of a king. She was walking along the shore one morning and saw a man swimming in the ocean not far from her. The look of kindness on his face captivated her completely, but when she called out to him, he vanished—" There was a rustling in some nearby bushes, and whispers that sounded vaguely indecent to the prince's ears. His brow darkened. Obviously one of the nobles had decided he'd found some girl he liked, and they both couldn't make it to one of the guest chambers. 
> 
> _At least **I** didn't have a choice! _He thought, glaring at the offending shrubbery. And to be so flagrant about it, there was a young princess here for heaven's sake! 
> 
> "Let's go elsewhere." He muttered. Mimi looked vaguely surprised, but quietly followed him to a gently sloping hill some distance away. They could still see the spray of the fountain, though the night air was chill without the shrubs and trees to cushion the wind. 
> 
> "Please continue," Mimi requested once they were both settled. 
> 
> "The man vanished when she called out to him, but the princess couldn't forget about him. Every day, she would go walking along the beach a the same time of day, and every time the man would be there, watching her from the water. Whenever she tried to meet his eyes, he vanished all over again…until, one day, she went and he wasn't there. She waited and waited, the sun went down as she sat along the beach, and there was still no sign of him. The next day she came back and did the same thing. The next day, the same. 
> 
> He never did come back, and finally, the king noticed his daughter's odd behavior. Incensed, he asked her who this man was, and she only responded 'Lydien', the name she had made up for the stranger, since he had never told it to her. The king locked her in her room, forbidding her to go to the beach ever again. After all, he was confident that she would forget this man eventually. 
> 
> The next day, the princess was found at the bottom of the courtyard, where she had leapt to her death out of her window. Her body was facing the same direction as the beach, as if she was desperately trying to make it to her rendezvous with the stranger… 
> 
> The king felt so guilt over what had happened, that he made the most beautiful, elaborate fountain he could think of, and made sure that it would pump water through the ocean. A sort of a tribute to the one spot where waves can stay upon the shoreline…a meeting place." 
> 
> To his bewilderment, Yamato heard an odd snuffling sound coming from beside him. Mimi had her face in her hands and was sobbing in a way that was rather demure at the same time. Yamato blinked, it was just a story…and a rather silly one at that. Who really believed that someone would throw themselves out of a window for a person they hadn't even exchanged a single word with? 
> 
> What about you? If you had the chance to meet your angel, would you do whatever it took? Yamato shook his head rapidly, causing Mimi to raise her head and gaze at him in confusion. Yamato told himself that he would do all within his means, but that certainly didn't include committing suicide in order to get there. 
> 
> "It was a wonderful story. I think it fits this place perfectly…" Mimi said, gazing upwards at the bewitching darkness. "Beautiful and haunting at the same time. If you listen really hard, you can hear the ocean from here." 
> 
> "I don't hear anything." Yamato said, looking at the strange girl as if she had suddenly burrowed up from underground and claimed she was the queen of the mole kingdom. 
> 
> "Maybe you're just so used to it that you've forgotten how to listen…or maybe you never bothered to listen in the first place." 
> 
> Yamato closed his eyes and concentrated. Sure enough, the faint rumble of the surf met his ears, like distant thunder echoing from a long-forgotten past. Amazing how things like that can escape your attention. 
> 
> Waves meeting upon the sand.   
  
  

> 
> **End of Part Seven**   
**To be continued…**


	9. Part Eight

  


**Waves Upon the Sand**

  
  
  


"You're worried about Yamato, aren't you?" King Ishida watched his wife from across the room, reading her turbulent emotions in her tense stance as she gazed out the window, looking at something he couldn't see. The queen allowed herself the luxury of a sigh. 

"Yes…" She finally admitted, turning to face her husband. "I'm worried that he's too picky when it comes to choosing a bride, and I'm worried because he's so discriminating…he seems so miserable." 

"Yamato has always been a free spirit." The king replied, bemused. Ever since their oldest son had been born, it seemed as if he'd had a mind of his own. The king was inwardly relieved to see his headstrong tendencies were overridden by a healthy smattering of common sense when it came to important issues, though. That was the sign of a boy that could grow up to become a wonderful king… 

"I don't want to break his spirit," The queen insisted. "I just wish I could ease his suffering…" 

"It's something he has to work through on his own. We can't be there every step of the way to catch him when he falls." The king replied as the queen made her way over to his side, peering over his shoulder at what he was working on. She squinted to read the flowing script. 

King Ishida never ceased to be amazed over his luck; his marriage had been arranged when he was little older than Yamato, a political union that was supposed to double the size of their small kingdom. Yet, he and his wife had a partnership bound by true affection, and he had found a kindred spirit in the shy girl he first saw on the night they were to be married. Through the years her common sense and intelligence, already formidible, had blossomed as her husband included her in running his kingdom. It wasn't that they never quarreled, but rather any dispute was eventually comprimised upon and forgotten. He honestly thought he wouldn't be able to run the country without her. 

Years may have added slight lines to her face, and her burnished copper hair had been slightly muted by time, but in the lamplight she was still the girl he had grown to love so many years ago. 

"I'm redrafting some old treaties." He said in way of explanation at her curious look. His advisors were none too thrilled with their monarch's habit of going over even the most teadious treaties by hand. King Ishida privately took their objections and continued to do the same thing he always did, he thought this was the best way to cut down on pocketlining and general corruption, and the years had proven him right. "The High Council is meeting in a few months." 

The High Council was a meeting of all the major kingdoms on the continent. It always took place on neutral ground, just in case two warring countries leaders were attending at the same time. It was a time to renegotiate treaties and grievances, and, due to ancient tradition, the heads of the royal family were expected to attend. Not to do so was considered an insult of great magnitude, though some of the larger houses got away with sending a prince to be a delegate, most of the kingdoms represented would be by their own monarchs. 

"I know, dear heart." The queen said with obvious affection. "I have already finished with our travel plans. Do you need my help with any documentation?" 

"Always." 

*** 

Takeru's heartbeat grew to a dull roar in his ears until he was sure that it couldn't escape attention. Currently the young boy was underneath an elaborate wall scroll, the smooth marble wall behind him a chilling slab of ice. Inch by inch he was moving, expecting a cry of discovery to be raised at any moment. Fortunately there was ample room between the wall and the fabric for a slender boy to move with relative ease. Any strong movement caused the tapestries to move, thus the overwhelming need for caution. 

The marble grew almost unbearably cold beneath his bare feet as he carefully made his way through the halls, until he finally made it to one of the lower levels. The chances of him getting caught here were significantly less, so he finally left the safety of the tapestry. Takeru watched with muted interest as the hallways grew less and less lavish—barren, he would say—as he worked his way down to a previously unexplored area of his home. He allowed himself to let go of his fear bit by bit, an inch at a time, until he finally stood before a darkened staircase descending down into the kitchens. 

Once he stumbled down to the base of the stairs, he found himself in an impossibly narrow hallway that eventually widened into a gigantic room. Paradoxically, Takeru felt almost hemmed in as he made his way silently what he had divined—correctly—what was the main kitchen of the castle. A huge fire burned at one end, sending up huge arms of flames to grab at the ceiling as if this room was the very gate of hell itself. The only sound was the ghostly crackle and pop of the flames as the cast their hauntingly transforming light upon the kitchen, creating dark and imposing shadows in the deep corners. Takeru quickly made his way to the other side, a little lost phantasm himself in his pale tunic and luminous baby-blue eyes. 

Takeru ran headfirst into someone, so intent was he upon leaving the kitchen. He felt his small heart skip a beat in panic, and for one spit second was sure that it would never start again…until the other boy set him on his feet with steady hands, the torchlight making his face otherworldly in the vaguely dancing flickering of light and shadow. 

"Whoa, little one! Where are you running to so late at night? If you were sneaking food, you know Shin'll have your hide! You should be asleep." 

Takeru sighed in relief, it looked as if the dimness of the hallway had kept his secret for him faithfully. He swallowed, moistening his parched throat. 

"I…I'm looking f-for Jyou." He finally stuttered, hoping this stranger would willing to point him in the direction of Jyou's room. 

"Jyou, huh? I guess he's a pretty popular guy tonight…I just came from his room." The stranger inspected Takeru's face with an intensity that made him faintly uneasy. "Turn down the next hallway, it's the second room on the right." 

"Thank you kindly!" Takeru said warmly before squeezing past the older boy and continuing on his way. 

*** 

Ryo quietly watched the boy go down the hallway, waiting until he was out of eyesight before letting out a sigh. He had hoped he would be able to grab a few hours of sleep before he packed his few belongings and headed out early the next morning. Now it looked as if he would be paying Shin's room an unexpected visit. 

He had felt the fine silken garment underneath his fingers as he helped the younger boy up, so similar to Yamato's nightwear. There was no way a member of the kitchen staff would be wearing something as nicely woven as that… 

Yamato had often talked about his younger brother with Ryo, sharing and exalting over Takeru's small triumphs as if they had been his own. He had mentioned with pride how well he read and wrote, how studious he was, how sweet natured. Ryo had never seen the boy himself, except from a distance while he took his horseback riding lessons. Still, he had noted the honey-blond hair and small graceful frame, if only to make subconscious comparisons to Yamato. 

Shrugging in confusion—he honestly had no idea what business the younger of the two princes might have with Jyou…Takeru was a bit young yet for any sort of romantic liaison—he went to go inform Shin of his royal visitor. 

*** 

Takeru unconsciously gaped as he peered into what was—to him—the worst squalor he'd ever seen. This "room" was little more than a hole in the wall, a small pallet made of straw in the corner that nonetheless took up most of the space. At first he wondered if this was Jyou's punishment, until he took a glance around and noticed all the rooms along the hallway seemed the same size. It looked as if his little journey down to the servants' quarters was going to be a rude wake up call, like icy cold water splashed on his peacefully slumbering face. He tentatively took a step inside, almost jumping as something stirred in the darkened corner, on the pallet. 

Jyou's tousled head soon appeared, as if by magic, but his eyes were bright without a sleepy blurriness to them, so at least Takeru had the relief of knowing he hadn't awoken the older boy. Jyou sat all the way up and although he looked rather surprised by his late night visitor, he quickly managed to get a hold of himself and motion for the distraught looking boy to come in. 

"I…I just wanted to make sure you were unharmed…" Takeru finally said awkwardly, before sitting down. It had looked as if Jyou was about to stand, and Takeru already felt guilty enough as it was. "Please, you don't have to get up." He insisted. Now he felt ill at ease, as if he was completely out of his element and didn't know quite what to say. 

Jyou regarded him with frank curiosity as the younger boy interlaced his fingers nervously. "I also wanted to say…I guess I just wanted to thank you for listening to me today. It was nice to have someone pay attention to what I have to say, instead of politely brushing me off. Usually oniichan is the only one willing to do that, and he's always so busy…I feel like I'm just a bother to him sometimes, he has so much on his shoulders." 

Jyou privately doubted that the elder of the two princes felt the same way, just from what he had seen of the two was indicative of a very deep love on the elder brother's part. At the same time, it did seem as if Yamato had something weighing on his mind as of late…all the castle had been gossiping about it like mad. 

"Do you think…" Takeru suddenly look heart wrenchingly young, shadows blanketing his face until it was hard not to think of him as a lonely spirit, desperately searching for any sort of companionship. "I could come to you, or I could summon you, if I just needed to talk about something?" 

Jyou nodded, and was surprised to see the prince let out a breath he had been holding in a large sigh. Obviously he was expecting a different answer altogether, most likely the one he was all too used to. Takeru, for his part, felt as if a weight had just been lifted off of his back, he almost felt like laughing, amazing what knowing you had a confidant could do to your mood. There was something about Jyou; he could sense the other boy genuinely liked him and that he wasn't just humoring him. 

"I guess I'll let you sleep now…" Takeru said, suddenly shy as he stood up. Somehow he thought there should be more to say, that the trip down here had seemed longer than his purpose. At the same time, he was happy to discover that the kitchen boy hadn't been punished and was doing well, at least he could finally get a few hard won hours of sleep with that knowledge. 

*** 

Content with his knowledge, the younger prince wasn't as careful as he should have been while making his way across the expanse of kitchen once more. Had he been more alert, he might have noticed the man waiting for him in the dark, the flames of the endlessly burning cookfires outlining him ever-so-slightly as he kept his silent vigil while leaning confidently against one of the upraised chopping tables. 

"My liege, had you wished for something to eat, you might have called one of your servants. I hardly think a personal visit was needed." 

Takeru started, feeling his heart leap to his throat at the sudden sound. He whirled to meet the man, inwardly angry at his own carelessness. Shin stepped closer to the smaller boy and gave a curt bow, a mere formality. Shin was not the type of person given towards lavish signs of respect if one had yet to earn it, the mere fact that he had bothered with a bow at all showed that Takeru was well on his way to earning it, however. 

"I…I came to see Jyou." Takeru finally said in way of explanation. 

"And you couldn't wait until morning and ask someone?" Shin's voice was dry, with a bewitching undercurrent of amusement, as if he was used to royalty parading about his kitchen in their nightshirts. Takeru met his eyes, trying to dredge up some of that commanding presence that seemed to come and go at its whim where he was concerned. 

"They would have lied to me." He finally whispered, not quite what he had been hoping for, but the tall head of the kitchens did create a rather imposing figure. Surprisingly at those words, Shin knelt on one knee, now better able to meet the prince's gaze. "They always tell me what I want to hear…as if I'm some sort of baby!" 

"You could always ask me." Shin said, and Takeru realized with a sudden burst of clarity that Shin wasn't angry, or even annoyed with him. "I wouldn't lie to you." 

Still, Takeru felt he had to ask. "Aren't you going to scold me?" Shin looked genuinely surprised at the prince's question. 

"Why would I scold you? It's your palace; you can come and go as you please. You're always welcome here, milord. I would just prefer to have a little bit of forewarning before you decide to fraternize with my staff." 

"But you could get in trouble…" Takeru insisted. 

"Only if you get caught tonight." Shin laughed. "And I'm sure that if you got here in one piece then you can certainly get back to your room without mishap. Now get going before someone besides me and Ryo catches you here." Takeru did as he was bidden, stopping only to adjust his sweaty tunic and give Shin a winsome smile. 

"Thank you…I think I might take you up on your offer in the future." He ended politely, before ducking down the hallway, disappearing before Shin's eyes silently as a specter. 

*** 

Yamato squinted in an attempt to keep the sun from blinding him as he parried a lightning swift lunge by his younger brother. His sleep deprived muscles protested this harsh treatment even as he pressed his advantage, fencing sword a bright slash of light as he counterattacked. 

After escorting the princess to her room late last night, he had finally fallen into a light uneasy sleep. When he had woken up early the next morning, he had found the bedsheets twisted around his legs like a serpent's coiled embrace, bedcovers discarded on the side of his bed. 

The princess was watching their morning ritual with avid interest, seated delicately upon a bench in the courtyard as the two boys practiced. Any move of extraodinary grace or skill was met with enthusiastic applause on her part, causing the boys to fumble more than once at the sudden sound echoing off the walls. Neither one of them had the heart, or courage, to ask her to stop, however. Her presence was just as alien to them as theirs was to her, and both parties fumbled to meet at some sort of proper common ground. 

Obviously it wouldn't do to treat her like a prince of their own age. Actually, the last time they'd had a prince near Yamato's age at the castle, Yamato had been nine years old. The two had taken an instant disliking towards one another and all of their parents' efforts to get them to play together amiably had been in vain. Yamato remembered, with satisfaction to this day, the look on the other boy's face when Yamato had sent him sprawling into a muddy puddle. Of course, he had been severely punished, but he had never explained the reason behind his shocking behavior had been because the other boy had been picking on Takeru. 

Speaking of which, his younger brother's night must have been mild and calm compared to his; Takeru's smile was even more sweetly heartwarming than usual, as if something had transformed him overnight. His eyes held a light Yamato had never witnessed before, as if he was privy to some amazing secret that not even Yamato could understand, just as Yamato had his own puzzles to add depth to his own often stormy gaze. A whisper across the ocean-blue surfaces that was almost like love, but not quite at that depth. 

Yamato frowned slightly, a bit uncomfortable at his insights. It was disturbing somehow to think of his younger brother growing older, but at the same time there wasn't anything Yamato could do to stop it. He knew they would grow apart as the years went by, and yet he found himself struggling every time Takeru showed some sign of his impending independence. 

Takeru took the chance Yamato's distraction offered to quickly worm through Yamato's defenses and land a point on the taller boy's shoulder, still in a ready stance until Yamato sighed and motioned for Takeru to relax. Yamato bestowed an approving grin upon his brother before ruffling Takeru's hair in an offhandedly affectionate manner; Takeru really was improving with leaps and bounds… 

Takeru wiped his forehead in an attempt to make himself look halfway decent as the two of them made their way back to where Mimi was waiting patiently. He still hadn't had a chance to talk to the princess, and when he had quizzed his older brother as to what she was like, he had shrugged and said "she's nice", which was about as close Yamato would come to saying he approved of her, but didn't exactly tell Takeru much about her. 

Yamato took a seat on her right-hand side while Takeru took the left. There were a few moments of silence as the two princes tried to catch their breath until Yamato spoke. "Our lessons are canceled for today, and you were saying something about wanting to go to the beach, princess?" He was getting into the swing of things, rout politeness becoming easier as the hours passed. 

Mimi nodded in reply, smoothing out her periwinkle-blue dress in a quick graceful movement as she basked in the undivided attention emanating from the two boys. "Yes, if it's not too much trouble…" 

"I have an idea." Takeru said, a heady feeling infusing him as Mimi's full attention turned to him for the first time. "I could ask the cooks to prepare us a picnic lunch! We could eat it on the grassy knoll right before the sand starts down to the beach…" 

The idea obviously caught Mimi's fancy, because the sparkle in her eyes grew as she began making a lengthy list of supplies that were absolutely needed to have the perfect picnic. Yamato threw his brother a confusedly lopsided grin as he allowed the girl to ramble on. It was probably impossible to carry all the supplies to the beach, let alone find them all, but Takeru had a feeling Mimi was a girl that didn't always have her feet carefully grounded in reality. Nor had it escaped his attention that most of this list was being dictated to his older brother… 

Takeru didn't want to be a nuisance when it might be better for the two to go alone…but he was also torn by the feeling of wanting to visit the beach as well. It had been so long since he'd been able to go down to the lower part of the garden, the part that opened up into the private beach of the Ishida royal family. Perhaps if he had something to distract him from being a pain… 

"Oniichan?" Now it was Yamato's turn to hear his brother's request. "Can Jyou come along? He won't be able to lift a lot of stuff…but I'd really like it if we could include him. I know that it might not be really proper, but he's my friend and—" 

Yamato by this point, had been racking his brains trying to think of the names of their usual entourage; as far as he could tell, there was no "Jyou" among their ranks. A glimmer of an idea began to take root. Yamato could remember back when he was young and intense loneliness had caused him to conjure up an imaginary playmate. He had driven the castle half mad, insisting a place be set for the invisible boy, getting angry at the servants if they didn't address the "two of them" as "they" walked along. Certainly it would behoove him to take his little brother as seriously as everyone else did his flight of fancy. Of course, he had been a bit younger than Takeru, but who was he to say what might be normal for Takeru's age? 

"Sure he can." Yamato said generously. "You can invite Jyou any time you want." Takeru's eyes lit up. 

"I'll go tell him and Shin right now!" He exclaimed before darting off. Now Shin was a name Yamato did recognize, and he seized his chance with both hands. 

"Why don't you take Mimi with you!" He offered, perhaps a bit too hurriedly to be truly polite. "That way she can relay this list to the head cook himself!" Mimi also threw a grateful look Yamato's way as she hurried off after Takeru, no doubt eager to get going on what sounded like a delicious lunch. 

Even better, Yamato finally had some time to himself… 

*** 

"That's not fair!" Takeru protest as Mimi ran into the kitchen a few moments before he did, shoes in one hand and chest heaving as she laughed sweetly. A surprised cook narrowly missed slamming a heavily laden tray into the young girl and one dropped an earthenware pot with a crash at the commotion. "You cheated!" 

"I did no such thing!" She insisted, looking horribly affronted at the thought. 

"You pretended you fell, and then ran right past me when I stopped to help you!" He insisted. 

"That's not cheating!" 

Meanwhile, one of the kitchen boys had managed to work his way through the rapidly growing din over to Shin, and was pointing to the two strangers in consternation. Shin sighed and pushed his glasses back up from where they had started to slide down to the tip of his nose before waving the kitchen boy on to his task and going to see what all the fuss was about. 

"Shin, I was wondering if it would be possible to prepare us a picnic lunch…" Takeru said when Shin drew into hearing range. "Also, is Jyou at leisure to attend?" 

"Well, what did you have in mind?" Shin asked, unsuccessfully trying to hide his grin as the outraged cook behind the two children finally realized exactly who his rage was directed towards. "As for Jyou, you'll have to ask him yourself. It's fine with me, but I'm not going to order him to go with you, majesty." 

If Mimi was surprised at the offhand way Shin spoke to his royal prince, she gave no sign, instead she was engrossed by the finely oiled working machine that was the royal kitchen, stopping her gaping only when Takeru asked her to tell Shin exactly what she wanted in their lunches as he went off to seek his older friend. 

Takeru eventually found him working at making pie crusts with about fifteen other boys of various ranks and ages. Jyou seemed surprised to see Takeru there, but when Takeru requested his attendance, Jyou paused and thought for a few minutes. It was only after Takeru remarked that his brother and Princess Mimi would be attending as well did Jyou give a hesitant nod of approval, as if steeling himself for a task that would take monumental effort on his part. Takeru then dragged Jyou off to be properly introduced to the princess, who took being introduced to a common kitchen boy with remarkably good grace, treating him as if she was being introduced to another member of the royal family and enquiring about his job at length. 

Takeru just watched as Shin carefully disappeared back into the crowd, not wanting to be burdened with any more requests, and Jyou stood silent under the curious girl's onslaught of inquiries. He wondered how long it would take her to realize Jyou was mute… 

*** 

It took a good hour to prepare the picnic baskets, but finally the three of them slowly made their way back to the courtyard. Jyou ended up carrying both he and Mimi's baskets until Takeru noticed and relieved him of the burden, only to stagger under the weight himself as Mimi skipped up the stairs into the light. She looked back down at them curiously from her perch on the rough marble, as if pondering something. 

"What's taking you two so long?" 

Takeru could see how Mimi could be so utterly easy to get along with, yet completely innocent of other people, and how it could be irksome and endearing at the same time. You would begin to get annoyed, only to have those cocoa-colored eyes fix on yours and before you knew it, you would have forgotten you had anything to be upset about. 

"I'll go tell Yamato that you two are on your way!" She exclaimed before dashing off, leaving Takeru to let out a befuddled sigh and slump against the wall. It would never occur to her to help them with the baskets, would it? Ah, well, that's the way she was… Jyou made a move to grab the other basket, but Takeru stopped him and gave him a look of childish earnest, expressing that he could do it! 

By the time the two of them made it to the top, Yamato was waiting outside with Mimi. He was nodding halfheartedly along to her conversation only to stop as Jyou stepped outside and shielded his eyes to allow them to get used to the sudden brightness. Yamato turned to his brother with an urgent face. 

"Takeru, who is this?" Yamato hadn't taken his eyes off of Jyou the whole time, but Jyou, after a deep bow, hadn't met his gaze once. 

Takeru blinked in confusion before answering. "This is Jyou, oniichan. Is there something the matter?" 

Yamato seemed captivated as the kitchen boy's cheeks colored under the prince's watching expression, a slight tinge of pink that contrasted with the ivory of his skin to create a mesmerizing visage. 

"No, there's nothing wrong, Takeru. Nothing at all…"   
  
  


**End of Part Eight**   
**To be continued…**

  



	10. Part Nine

waves09 ****

**Waves Upon the Sand**

  
  


The small group made their way slowly down the stone path that led to the private beach. The wind was cool and slightly salty on their upturned faces, playing with Mimi's chestnut locks until she was forced to tuck it out of reach behind her ears, lest she stumble over the uneven terrain when it was swept into her face. 

"Oniichan, did you tell our parents where we were going?" Takeru asked, struggling with one of the heavily laden baskets. He was beginning to wonder if Shin had packed them rocks to eat. 

"No, but I alerted the guards. They'll be posted at the entrance of the gardens, as usual." Yamato replied distractedly. _Better to ask forgiveness than permission._ He had read that somewhere, but the name of the book escaped him at the moment. 

"So, they won't be joining us?" Mimi turned around, holding the front of her dress down modestly, just in case the wind decided to play any ungentlemanly tricks. 

"No, princess." Yamato said. 

"Good." She was decisive, and had a curious tone of relief in her voice. "Because I don't know if we would have had enough food for all of them." Yamato tried—with limited success—to hide his amused smile, not wanting the girl to think he was mocking her. 

Privately, Jyou thought that they certainly had enough to feed a larger army than the one stationed in the palace, or at least that's what it felt like to his aching arms. This princess was certainly a bit strange, unlike anyone he had ever met before. Of course, he hadn't come into contact with many human girls, except for some of the maids and the serving wenches—though some of them were tales in and of themselves—so his indirect interaction with the princess was interesting. She didn't work like the other girls he knew, and seemed inclined to assume everyone would take care of her. At the same time, she was charming and sweet natured; Takeru seemed utterly captivated by her, though it was hard to discern exactly how the older of the two princes viewed her, Yamato almost seemed torn between amusement and light irritation in his regard. 

Jyou felt each sidelong glance from the older prince like lightning moving up his spine. This was going to be even more difficult than he had previously imagined if he couldn't even force himself to make eye contact with the other boy. He supposed he had just wanted to see if there was any sort of truth to all the rumors that had been circulating about Prince Yamato and Princess Mimi. One serving maid had remarked that she had heard from a guard, who had heard it from his friend, that the two had been kissing in the gardens last night. 

_It wouldn't be the first time…_ Jyou found himself thinking, a tad sourly. 

*** 

Ryo mumbled something untoward concerning womankind in general as he scrubbed down the dust-streaked wall of the currently unoccupied horse stalls. Heaven and earth only knew how he had allowed himself to be convinced to stay, though he had a feeling it might be something to do with the massive blows to his masculine pride she had so skillfully dealt. 

He had tried to sneak out, a bit irked over the fact that the master of the stables refused to pay him fully for the work he had put in. It had been hard enough prying the money out of his grasping fingers, not to mention with the deductions for "room and nourishment" it didn't add up to much to begin with. Of course, he really didn't have any right to complain; most of his fellow stable boys weren't even receiving wages for their labor…then again, most of them weren't smart enough to ask. 

*** 

"And where do you think _you're_ going?" The voice had called out from behind him, causing Ryo to halt in his tracks with the guilty expression of a criminal. He had turned to face his accouster; only before he could get a word out she was already moving closer. 

"You're Ryo, right?" When Ryo nodded his assent, the girl had sighed, running a hand through her closely cropped red hair. "Well, you've been assigned to the royal party delegation, to take care of the horses on the trip. I'm supposed to tell you to go and get fitted for some suitable attire this morning after your chores have been finished." 

"Sorry. I'm leaving." Nice and brief, or at least that's what he had hoped it would be. 

"Why would you want to do a stupid thing like that? Get thrown over by one of us girls?" 

Obviously the expression on his face showed how close to the mark she had been, and a knowing gleam entered her rich brown eyes. Before she had a chance to say anything else, Ryo quickly spoke. 

"It's none of your business. Besides," Looking at the serving wench, he remembered eating dinner sitting across from her upon occasion, which would explain why she looked so familiar. "I'm not the one who was constantly claiming that I was going to marry the prince someday!" 

Her face fell swiftly, going from a cheeky grin to a hurt expression that made Ryo feel lower than the muck he scraped off the bottom of his shoes at night. That had been a low blow. 

"All right, that's true." Her voice was downcast and subdued. "But at least I knew it was a dream all along. Just because you got closer than I did, doesn't mean you have to shove it in my face." 

"Wha…WHAT?!" Ryo dropped the canvas bag from his shoulders with a heavy thump. "How did you…I mean, what would…did you…WHAT?!" 

"I saw you two talking in the garden one night. I'm not stupid, you know. Unlike some people here, I can put two and two together." Now her voice was growing stronger as she faced him. "I didn't really know for sure, though…until you reacted like that." 

"Did you tell anyone?" He gulped. 

"I'm not the type given to gossiping about things that could…hurt others." She stared him in the eye for a long time before finally continuing. "You're a coward." 

"C-coward?! Hey, listen, I was planning on leaving anyway! Yamato has nothing to do with it!!" It was obvious she didn't believe him. "I'm looking for—" 

"It doesn't matter. You're just running away. You know…it was hard to give up my dream at first." Ryo tapped his foot impatiently; the sooner this girl got done with her lecture, the sooner he could get out of here! 

"But then, something strange happened; as time went on, it began to hurt less and less. Before I knew it, another dream had taken root. One always comes to take the place of the dead one…if a day comes when it doesn't, then you might as well die with it." She was looking past him at something Ryo didn't see, a dreamy smile crossing her face. 

"So you found another guy." Ryo said, still inwardly upset at the slight to his masculine bravery. That snapped her out of her reverie. 

"Yeah, if you want to put it like that." She replied, looking as if Ryo had shoved a lemon into her mouth. "But at least I didn't run away." 

"I'm not going to run away!" The words were out of his mouth before he had time to think properly. 

"Sure…" He voice was doubting, which just made Ryo even more irked. 

"I'm not!" He insisted hotly, sounding much younger than he really was. "I'll be in that room before you are." 

The girl fixed him with a glare, but then she smiled at the boy in spite of herself, both of them stubbornly refusing to give an inch, staring each other down…it was amusing in a way. "I suppose I'll see you in the fitting room, right? Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go talk to Shuu—" The way she said his name left no doubt as to who the current object of her affections was. "—About a few more things and pack my bags." 

Ryo said nothing, knowing he had been deftly outmaneuvered, but still trying to clutch what little pride he had left carefully around him. Suddenly it did seem kind of funny, the two of them standing in the dirt and dust, exchanging insults and glaring at one another; what a fine pair of consorts they would make! 

"Hey! What's your name?" He called after her rapidly disappearing figure. She at least owed him that much. 

"It's Jun!" She called back over her shoulder, tossing him a wink. 

*** 

Okay, so maybe it wasn't _completely_ her fault, Ryo reflected. With his current assignment it wasn't as if he was going to spend a lot of time around his ex-lover anyway. The castle that contained the High Council was quite a ways off, as a matter of fact. Perhaps it would relieve the itching of his wandering feet for a while, and he was beginning to feel as if this place was…well, as much a home to him as any other. 

Briefly he considered thanking Jun for making him stay, but then decided against it. He just wouldn't tease her quite so much about her crush on the "prince of the kitchens" while they were en route and fulfilling the duties of their stations. He sat up to wipe the dust off of his forehead and sent a quick, bemused prayer winging Shuu's way; he was going to need it dealing with that girl. 

*** 

Takeru was surprised, upon opening his picnic basket, that Shin _had_ packed them rocks, four to be exact. Underneath was an ornate, though moth-eaten and obviously rarely used, picnic blanket. The three boys worked at spreading the gigantic spread while Mimi watched from her nearby perch on a flat largish rock a few steps away, looking over what Shin had packed with a critical eye. Jyou positioned each rock at its proper spot at the corners before the boys stepped back to view their handiwork. The sound of the ocean filled the air, as did the tang of salt saturated winds blowing in from the calm waters. Behind Mimi, one could see the blue of the water kissing the horizon, extending into infinity. 

Yamato began unpacking the remaining baskets, flopping down upon the blanket with a heavy sigh. Takeru soon kneeled beside him, with Mimi following to recline in a demuringly languid position. Jyou watched them from an outsider's perspective, feeling uncomfortable. It had taken him so long to fully comprehend how to act and respond to royalty, having never come face to face with anything resembling monarchy in his whole life. However, his lessons had been well learned, and now he felt like an outsider pressing his face to glass, unable to touch what was inside no matter how close he might be. There were times when he held on to his realization that these princes were still people…nothing more or less, but it was difficult when so many people held them in such esteem and awe. 

His mixed emotions came to an abrupt point when Takeru finally noticed that he was standing. The younger boy motioned cheerfully to the older one, smiling. 

"Jyou, come sit over here!" He called, pointing at a spot in between his brother and Mimi, across from Takeru himself. Jyou found himself shaking his head, ingrained lessons overriding his basic impulse to do as the boy suggested. It wasn't…proper. Takeru's smile faded and he looked confused. "Jyou, what's wrong? Did I do something to offend you?" 

Yamato looked up at these remarks passing so naturally from his brother's lips, as if it was of dire importance what a kitchen boy thought of him! Yet…Yamato could almost understand his brother's emotions; he had a sneaking suspicion that this was that same boy he had met in the courtyard that one morning, the one that had to be reminded to bow and had left without being dismissed…the boy he had met so many months ago, washed up on the shore as if forcefully ejected from the ocean itself. 

It was strange…but there was something about the boy that made you want his approval. He carried himself as if he was unaware of the difference in their rank, as if he had to remind himself of what constituted as the proper behavior around royalty. He had no inborn awe of the princes, Yamato realized, remembering the boy's muteness and the way he had stared into Yamato's eyes without guile…like he had been born that very second and had yet to grasp the way the world worked. Most likely that was the reason, Yamato thought to himself. 

Yamato, unlike Takeru, hadn't taken the time to take a good long look at the merboy's expression. He hadn't recognized the swift intelligence quickening behind those twin ebony windows, the affection to be read like words off a page for the younger of the two princes. Takeru's eyes grew more bewildered as he read the merboy's face. 

"No? Then what is it? You're my guest…you can join us. Please come and sit down." 

_"You can join us"?_ Jyou found himself echoing the sentiments in his head, puzzling over them. _I can't…that's the problem._

Yamato fixed his eyes upon the kitchen boy's face for the first real time, all perceptions blown away in a single instant. His heart skipped a beat at the awareness locked in the other boy's gaze; a bird trapped in a cage, beating its wings against the bars frantically. 

"Please." Yamato wasn't aware of the word leaving his lips, and yet there it was, suspended in the air like a bell's distant echo. 

And Jyou took his seat quietly, not allowing his inner turbulent emotions to mar the surface of his face. 

Both Mimi and Takeru inspected the sudden tension between Yamato and Jyou with confusion, but didn't make a sound. Yamato spoke again, turning his eyes towards the expanse of water in the background. Jyou knew these words were also meant for his benefit, though. 

"I'm sorry." 

Had the merboy known how rare and priceless those two words were coming from the crown prince, he would have prized them all the more. 

*** 

Takeru smiled at his guest, an angelically sweet curve of the lips. "Jyou, you seem distracted. You want to go swimming, don't you?" Jyou regarded the younger of the princes with frank amazement; how was it that this small boy could comprehend so fully what his emotions were? 

Jyou had been looking out upon his homeland, wondering if this was anywhere near Valley of Iridescent Coral. He had only been there once of twice in his lifetime, but most of his brothers regarded it as a favorite haunt. Though it could be dangerous, considering how close it was to the surface, the adventurous boys could always be counted upon to bring back a branch of the amazingly colored coral for their sisters. It became a game to see who could find the most vibrantly colored sprig, often taking dangerous risks to obtain it. 

The Princess Mimi would probably like that sort of thing, Jyou decided, recalling how his youngest sister's quiet gaze would smolder with adoration when they presented her with her share of the spoils, not to mention his other sister's squeals of bliss. Jyou had decided it was probably further to the south, though; much too far to swim to today. It was a bit of a pity, he was sure that Prince Takeru would appreciate a branch as well. 

Still, to feel the salty water's caress on all sides of him, no boundaries as to how far he could swim, the familiar weight of water moving through his lungs…the longing in his eyes was palatable. 

The sand was harsh against Jyou's hands as the group sat on the beach, watching the waves roll in and out in a steady comforting melody. Yamato was sitting closer to the water than the rest of them, allowing the waves to tickle his feet as he wandered through a familiar memoryscape. 

"The water looks wonderful!" Mimi exclaimed. She had left her shoes on the picnic blanket like the rest of them, and was currently engrossed in the feeling of working sand into the crevices of her toes. "It's such a pity I can't swim…" 

Takeru looked at her, eyebrows arched in surprise. To him, she might as well have said 'it's a pity I don't know how to walk', or breathe. Living by the ocean as the royal family did, it was almost impossible to conceive of _not_ knowing how to swim. 

"Go ahead," Takeru said, turning back to Jyou. "I don't mind if you want to go swimming, and I'm sure no one else does either." 

Jyou turned the thought over in his mind for a few moments before struggling to his feet and slowly taking off his shirt. Mimi made a noise behind him, and he turned to find six pairs of eyes watching him expectantly. 

"How indecent!" Mimi continued, turning her face to the side. "Why on earth are you disrobing in front of a lady?!" Jyou blushed and hurriedly groped for his shirt, clumsy fingers unable to grasp its folds, almost as if it was burying away from him into the sand. 

"Milady." The voice was Yamato's, almost inaudible over the rolling thunder of the surf. "One can hardly expect him to swim with all his clothes on. I'm sure he wasn't going to take off his lower garments. Your purity is still intact." 

"You mean, you have to expose your body when you swim? How horrible!" Mimi exclaimed, drawing the folds of her dress closer, as if afraid someone was going to rip them from her and demand she jump into the water. Yamato sighed; sometimes he thought girls were a completely different race entirely. 

"Well, I suppose you don't really have to," Takeru explained. "But I think it makes things a lot easier. If, for example, you were to try and swim in your dress, you'd probably sink." 

"Swimming nude is the best." Yamato couldn't help but smirk at the scandalized blush that wrested control of the younger girl's features. It wasn't very nice of him, teasing someone so innocent, but he couldn't really help it. Watching the other boy "disrobe", as the princess had put it, had been…nice, until they had gotten sidetracked on to this pointless debate. 

Yamato found himself half wishing Jyou would take his snide comment at face value. That would be interesting…for many reasons. 

The boy's skin had a healthier tinge to it than the last time Yamato had seen him, like alabaster with the lightest dusting of rose-pink blush. There were faint scars running along his back that hadn't been there the last time, that was a bit worrisome, but the overall effect was of ever-changing blue framing a single perfect statue made of the finest white stone, the ocean providing a sparkling backdrop for the ethereal picture. 

Jyou walked into the water, and, without warning, Yamato wanted to yell at him to stop where he was, not to go any further. Yamato had the most bizarre feeling that the kitchen boy was going to vanish from their very sight, that the ocean would claim him for its own once again. He was trying to grasp on the edge of a dream, even as he began to wake up. 

The waves seemed to part around the dark-haired boy; he didn't stumble as most people did when confronted with the pounding of the surf. He was a part of the water, moving with the very rhythm of the water carrying him along. His head ducked beneath the waves, eyes opening as their thin protective sheath came into play to shield him from the salty water's effects. He inhaled a deep breath of water, rejoicing as the comforting heaviness filled his lungs once more. 

It was hard to swim without his fins, but by clamping his legs together and wriggling in the same manner he was used to, he found he could pick up a nice bit of speed. A huge rock jutted into view, lording over the surrounding area, its peak providing a timeworn island about five feet square. Fish were swimming in and out of pockets in the rocks. Had Jyou been hungry, he might have caught one to eat; it had been a long time since he had tasted raw fish…but he was still full from lunch and was too sluggish to put any real effort into stalking and capturing his prey. 

His goal was quite a way out to sea, but Jyou thought he could make it with ease. The sun was still high in the sky, a golden halo flickering through the distorting water, and he rather thought it would be nice to stretch out on the rocks for a bit, soak up some warmth. 

*** 

"It's _cold_!" The princess squealed, Takeru having coaxed her down to the water's edge. She jumped a bit as a wave reached up to touch the hem of her skirt, giggling. 

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it." Takeru said wisely, unconciously scanning the ocean for some sign of his friend's head. He was getting concerned, though Jyou's dark hair might make him difficult to see in the water, Takeru almost thought he hadn't seen the other boy come up for air once…as if the ocean was a giant maw that had opened and swallowed the kitchen boy in one fluid gulp. 

Yamato was pacing back and forth, foam and water sloshing in his wake, the bottom of his pants clinging to his skin for dear life. He was obviously just as worried as Takeru, even the princess was looking at the waves now and then, as if trying to fight off a growing anxiousness. Finally Yamato's eyes fixed on one point that met the horizon. 

"I think I see him." Yamato remarked, reaching to pull his embroidered tunic off. He motioned to a small island a ways from the shore. Takeru's eyes widened. 

"Do you think he's trapped there?" Takeru asked. 

"I don't know," Yamato admitted. "But I'm going to find out." 

Mimi had demurely turned her gaze from the half-undressed prince, but remarked "Please be careful…it wouldn't be very nice if you drowned!" 

Yamato didn't answer, too busy wading into the waves until he was far enough to swim, his blond head moving up and down like one of Takeru's wooden bathtub toys from when he was a child. 

*** 

The sight of the ocean stretching around him brought an old song to Jyou's mind. Though he might not be able to vocalize the notes, the music swelled inside his head as he gazed out upon the water. It was a lullabye, a nonsensical sweet tune about a quiet mermaid that liked to sit and watch the fish swim by from her hiding place in a bed of swaying seaweed. The song documented her slow transformation into a plant herself, until by the end she moved with the current she so loved for all eternity. 

A strange sound struck a discord with the melody, like someone crying inconsolably. There was a splash to the right of his perch on the rocks, and the mornful sound grew louder, punctuated by a fit of coughing. Jyou swung his gaze to meet the source of the noise, only to fall back against the rock with a harsh thud. 

Chestnut brown hair, slick and beautiful as one of the exquisite castle tables, which was kept perpetually polished until they shone like stars. Eyes, the color of grass on a clear morning, dew-laden with tears. 

His youngest brother stared up at him.   
  
  


**End of Part Nine**   
**To be continued…**


	11. Part Ten

**Waves Upon the Sand**

  
  
  
  


Ryo ran an admiring hand over the fine fabric, thankful he had taken the time to wash up before keeping his appointment. A veritable throng of people milled about, tailors attempting to keep a semblance of order as they outfitted the servants. A shock of red hair grabbed his attention forcefully, and he hastened to catch Jun's eyes. She pushed through a tightly knit clump of gossiping women to stand by his side. 

"This must have cost a pretty penny…" Ryo remarked when she drew close, motioning to the bolts of fabric behind him. 

"Yes," She agreed. "But it's all for show. A country that can afford to clothe so many servants in such finery has much more bargaining power at the table." 

"Politics." Ryo said without rancor. He had to admit he respected the royal family of this small nation; they treated those who served them very well indeed, from the youngest stable boy, to the highest advisor. 

"A suit of clothes is a suit of clothes." Jun said pragmatically. "Besides, I heard the queen picked all of it out herself, testing to see that they would be comfortable to wear." 

"I hardly think itchy servants would have the effect they're looking for…" Ryo remarked. Jun laughed in response. 

"You're probably right." She admitted, turning to admire a nice-looking young man as he walked past. 

"Hey, what about Shuu?" Ryo asked, needling the girl as if she was…hmm, like she was a sister or some other female relative. He didn't actually have any siblings but he was pretty sure this is how they would act. Amazing how quickly they had gotten used to one another. 

"There's nothing wrong with _looking_!" Jun exclaimed. "Hmm…do you know his name?" 

"I'll tell you what." Ryo smirked. "I'll give his name to Shuu, and you can ask him. How does that sound?" 

"Don't you **dare**!" Was her response; Ryo danced out of her reach before continuing, jostling a couple of women behind him. 

"Oh, I don't know…you might make him jealous. That would be something, wouldn't it?" 

"All right, all right…you act as if it's a crime for me to ask another guy's name…" She muttered, mock sulkingly. 

*** 

"Older brother…" The younger merboy swam closer, reaching out with shaking hands and horrified eyes to touch his brother's legs. Jyou could see the legs through his younger brother's eyes with ease, as if he was staring down upon them for the very first time once again, the ungainly limbs and monstrous feet where his fins should be. His brother's hands caught on the coarse, waterlogged fabric of his pants; Jyou could read the unanswerable question in his gaze. 

"Why?" It was the mournful sound of a wave crashing against a rocky cliff. 

But the boy seemed to understand that his brother had no way of replying, because a few moments later he was clutching Jyou's legs tightly, as if loathe to let go of his brother once more. The tiny body was wracked with sobbing again, and Jyou moved his hand to leave a familiarly comforting caress atop the other boy's head, mussing his fine hair. 

The other boy was speaking through his crying, words coming in chunks and gulps. 

"The Light that Glides Through the Darkest of Waters-" For that was the literal name of Jyou's youngest sister. Again, the original syllables are almost impossible to transcribe. "-Told us that you would be here. I…I didn't want to believe her…so I…I…" 

The youngest sister of their family was an enigma to most of them. Her sweetness drew people to her, but even then there was something about her that made you aware that she was not an ordinary mermaid. Perhaps that in itself explained part of her allure. 

The best illustration of her uniqueness was probably her hair. Among the women of the merpeople, hair length was a source of immense pride (boys would start growing theirs later in life, as a sign of maturity); mermaids usually started growing it at birth. Jyou's other sister had royal purple locks already down to her waist, tied back in elaborate twists and turns if needed, when it might get in the way. 

One day, his youngest sister had come to the nightly supper with her hair almost shorn off, sandy brown locks cut close to the pale, slender column of her neck. Only two tendrils at each side of her face had escaped. Disregarding the stares, she had quietly asserted that she had gotten it caught on something to the point where she had to cut it. 

She had kept it in the same style ever since then, shearing it when it started to grow. When asked, she calmly stated that it was easier to take care of this way…and as it didn't not detract from her beauty-one could argue it highlighted her incredible eyes-those around her quickly got used to it. 

This difference extended to other things as well…the easiest way to explain it was when she talked, people _listened_. 

Jyou heard a sound that didn't belong-causing the vision of his youngest sister to disperse from his mind- a discord in the natural rhythm surrounding them, a heavy gasping and panting, growing closer as moments elapsed. He shook his younger brother's shoulders, ignoring the spikes of pain slamming through his lower body at the abrupt movement. His brother's widening eyes informed Jyou that the other merboy heard the noise too. He trembled as if in the throes of a fit, trying desperately to quash his urge to dive into deeper, safer water. 

Jyou made a violent motion towards the sparkling water, its meaning unmistakable. Still, the younger hesitated, until he saw the concern in his brother's eyes. 

"I'll come back…we'll rescue you." Were his parting words. 

And Jyou was left with a ripple where his brother had been, on a now lonely seascape. 

*** 

Yamato panted, pushing himself upon the craggy island surface with what little strength he had left. There was a flair of pain against his bare abdomen as his skin met a particularly sharp outcropping of rock.. He stumbled to his feet drunkenly, still swaying with the movement of the ocean he had left behind. A flash of white abducted his attention from inspecting the blood running down his stomach. 

"Jyou?" He rasped; his throat felt like he had just swallowed a goblet full of sand. Yamato cleared it before trying once more. This time there was a subtle movement behind an uneven pillar of rock, and within seconds Jyou peeked out from the other side. 

Upon seeing the prince, the kitchen boy lurched to his feet-almost tripping in his haste and landing back in the water-moving to help Yamato find a comfortable place to sit down. Jyou peered at the gash stretching across the prince's stomach with concern, perplexed when Yamato smiled at his show of anxiousness. 

"There's no reason to worry about it." Yamato said carelessly. The wound was actually just a shallow scrape. It stung a little, but it was nothing too serious. Yamato inspected it briefly himself. "I wonder if it will leave a scar?" The blond boy seemed strangely pleased at the thought. Jyou made an expressive-though less than picturesque-face at the thought, causing Yamato to laugh. 

Jyou had never liked the sight of blood-his own, or anyone elses-though he had managed to deal with it better as the years went by. It most likely was connected to the fact that he was usually there to patch up numerous siblings from accidents that tended to plague young growing bodies. He simply learned to swallow deeply and take care of what needed to be done. 

He was still thankful that he would never be expected to follow a calling similar to Shin's, though. Jyou remembered with queasiness the one night Shin had been called upon to lance a painful boil on the side of a young boy's stomach across the hall. He had peeked through the door just in time to see Shuu holding the boy down, whispering soothing words while Shin began the operation…no, he was not fit for that line of work, his messy reaction had proved that beyond the shadow of a doubt. 

Yamato turned his eyes to the shore, squinting while trying to discern the shapes of his brother and the princess from the golden stretch of sand. 

"Takeru's probably worried sick." Yamato found himself saying as he turned back to the other boy, his voice rich with brotherly affection. "When we were younger, our whole family used to come to the beach. I would always swim out as far as I could, pretending I couldn't hear my mother calling for me to come back." His tone was resplendent with precious memories, and Jyou found his own thoughts urning to his own remembrances, finding parallels even as he listened to what the prince was saying. 

"Takeru would always come down to the edge of the water and begin to pace frantically until I swam back. Then he would lecture me about how dangerous the undertow could be. I never _did_ figure out who put that fear into his head; he probably overheard one of the guards or serving maids talking." 

Jyou smiled; that sounded like something Takeru would do. Or himself, for that matter…not that any of his brothers ever headed his warnings, instead shrugging them off with loving carelessness. What did they have to fear as long as they had their older brother there to take care of them? 

"It's just a bit peculiar, because in some ways he's so fearless, and it seems as if _I'm_ the one trying to hold him back, make sure he's safe…then in other ways he's so cautious that he makes me look like a daredevil." 

Yamato found himself surprised at how much he had said to the mute boy. Just his presence seemed to loosen Yamato's mouth, letting him articulate things that would never have come from his throat in front of anyone else. Was it because he knew that this boy couldn't tell anyone, even if he had wanted to? In any case, talking to this boy-a stranger really-was as easily done as lowering himself into a warm bath on a cold morning, comforting as the tension rolled out from stiff muscles. 

"Takeru really thinks a lot of you, Jyou…" Another oddity. Yamato knew, beyond the palest shadow of a doubt, had Takeru looked up to anyone else as much as he did this silent kitchen boy, he would have been jealous. He was so used to having a monopoly on Takeru's admiration, and he knew in some ways it had spoiled him, but in others it had only strengthened him. He watched the sunlight sparkle on the water, a line of shimmering white on blue. 

"Do you have any siblings?" 

Jyou nodded in reply. 

"Well, I suppose that's one thing we have in common…" Yamato finally said softly. 

So many questions he wanted to ask. 

When he had first looked at glanced at the other boy's face, he had seen the puffy eyes, the wet trails down those pale cheeks.   
  


_Why were you crying?_

*** 

When the two boys finally managed to stumble out of the water, both Mimi and Takeru ran to meet them. Mimi let out a horrified gasp at the sight of Yamato's scrape and all but insisted he take her handkerchief to press against it-Yamato couldn't help but dryly think that the tiny scrap of cloth wouldn't do anything except work sand into the wound, but it made her feel better… 

Yamato noticed that she had woven a garland of meadow flowers and was wearing it like a peasant girl's version of a royal crown. It suited her perfectly, certainly better than any clunky golden bauble would. This all ran through his mind in a matter of seconds as he helped Jyou to his feet. 

Perhaps other princes would have meditated upon it, how the flowers almost glowed white compared to her rosy cheeks, or how the sea air brought a entrancing glimmer to her eyes, but as far as Yamato was concerned, he noted the girl had flowers in her hair and left it at that. They were _pretty_ flowers, but nothing to hold his attention for more than a moment. 

Takeru had been digging in the sand behind the other two boys as Yamato walked to pick his shirt up. It had soaked up some of the warmth of the sand underneath it, and felt nice as he pulled it over his head, tousling his waterlogged hair even further. 

Jyou had not been so lucky, as he quickly discovered when Takeru triumphantly heaved Jyou's wet tunic out from a spot near where he had been excavating. While they had been swimming back, the tide had started to come in. He supposed he was lucky that it had miraculously escaped the water's pull out to sea. When Takeru finally brought it to him, he wringed it out as best he could, brushed the sand off, and put it on, wet fabric hugging his chest tightly. It wasn't exactly the most pleasant of sensations, but it wouldn't be for long. 

Yamato looked as if he was considering giving the other boy his shirt, but Jyou shook his head before the prince could open his mouth. He could manage for a few moments with his own; the weather was still nice, and it would dry eventually. 

The princess and the younger prince had packed up the baskets already, having divined that the other two would most likely be ready to head back after their strenuous swim. After the older boys caught their breath, the party began to walk back towards the castle. 

The elder of the two princes was hard pressed to pry his gaze from the wet fabric of Jyou's pants, holding fast to long, lithe legs. Now there was a subject worthy of his concentration, he could see the beginning of poetry in the other boy's light movements; in the way the tendrils of water-darkened hair crept close to the base of his neck, almost kissing Jyou's shoulders. Then again, he had been struck by the other boy's beauty since the moment they had first met. 

Something about his appreciation seemed subtly altered, but Yamato couldn't quite tell what had changed, like trying to chase a butterfly through a field of flowers, an effort in futility. 

*** 

They all came through the gates into the courtyard, walking across the immense space, their presence adding life to the formerly quiet area. 

Jyou bowed and turned in a different direction-the way to the servants quarters-taking the now lightened baskets from the princes. Both watched him go, mixed emotions rippling across their faces, rain dancing upon the surface of a lake. Mimi waved cheerfully, smiling widely all the while. 

"Goodbye! I hope I get to see you again some time!" She called after the kitchen boy, before turning to the princes. "He seemed very nice. He didn't talk very much, though…" 

There was a flash that caught the hem of Yamato's notice, just as the remaining three had turned to enter the hall that led to the main staircase of the castle. He whipped his head just in time to see two of the castle guards marching purposefully along the same route Jyou had taken. 

A few moments of deliberation--during which the prince returned Mimi's handkerchief in a distracted manner--the older of the two princes trailed after them, asking Takeru to escort the princess inside. Takeru opened his mouth, most likely to protest or insist upon accompanying his older brother. Faith in Yamato won out over the younger boy, however, and in the end he led Mimi politely in through the vaulted arches that led to the hall. 

Yamato heard upraised voices, upset echoes that lost the meaning of words and became mere sounds as they bounced about the high ceiling of the arcade. His steps became angry in their abruptness, clacking dully against the stone as he hastened his pace. Like a storm feeding upon invisible currents of air until it broke with a rumble, so was the prince's anger growing with every passing second. 

*** 

"Geez, Jyou! Shin is gonna skin you alive!!" 

Jyou found himself wondering, as he looked up at his self-appointed protectors, if he had ever sounded like this when he lectured. 

Probably, he admitted to himself, trying to hold back a grin. These two treated him...well, it wasn't quite the same way Shin and Shuu treated him, more like a friend. A younger friend, perhaps; someone they had to watch out for. 

It is here the author realizes she might have done the two guards a great disservice. While it is true that the brunette was the father of three--getting married while passionately in love at sixteen can do that to anyone, both of the guards were much younger than one might think. The blond was probably around seventeen summers, while his friend couldn't be more than two years his elder. They were certainly the youngest of the armed men; some of the other guards were well into their thirties. 

Both of them were well known around the castle for the pranks they played. If someone went to bed only to find his pallet soaked, they were probably the masterminds behind it. Because of their cheerful nature, most found their trespasses easily forgiven, and were almost universally looked upon as harmless. If the blond had not been unusually skilled at fixing the kitchen bellows, and the brunette not the only man among the guards able to read and write clearly, however, perhaps they would have found themselves seeking other occupations... 

As it was, the two had banded around Jyou almost from the moment he had arrived, watching out for him and trying to keep him from trouble. If one had asked them why, they would have shrugged...it had seemed natural to watch out for the other boy. Why did they need a reason? 

"You're soaked." The dark-haired man said. It was an understatement. Chill winds had turned the merboy's skin to an unhealthy pallor of sickly ash, his hair was waterlogged and limp, and his leggings were covered with a mixture of muck and sand. "And judging by the way you're shivering, well on your way to being sick." 

The two guards had been happy for their friend when the grapevine had eventually rustled the news that he was actually taking his lunch with the royal family. Heavens knew the boy had been interested enough in the royals, often going by the throne room whenever he had a chance. Now it looked as if the three royal children had held him down in a mud puddle, or something similar...it was hardly the way they had expected him to look when he came back! 

"Don't you have any sense to know you need some dry clothes when you're swimming? You leave 'em in a sunny spot and then jump in--sometimes it helps if you mumble a prayer that your nads won't freeze off!" The blond added, characteristic eloquence making its mark once again. 

"I'm sure that would have made quite an impression on the visiting princess..." His companion chuckled. "Anyway, first things first. We'll get you out of those wet clothes--you can wear my tunic for now." 

"And that won't attract Shin's attention?! Smuggling Jyou down in nothing but your shirt and parading through the kitchens?" 

The thought of that, and imagining Shin's subsequent reaction, had all three of them hiding their grins. 

"Ask the girl--you know, the one that's sweet on you--to bring up a fresh outfit and give her Jyou's to put in the wash." Then, pushing his ebony bangs from his indigo-blue eyes, he turned back to Jyou. "At least that way we'll save you a lecture..." 

"Yeah, and we'll get a break from counting tiles!" The blond smirked mischievously. "Now off with 'em!" He pulled Jyou's tunic up over his head in a quick motion, the fabric making a faint wet sound as it was peeled from bare skin. 

Neither of the guards noticed the storm gathering behind them. 

"What are you two doing?!" It was a rumble of icy thunder.   
  
  
  


**End of Part Ten**   
**To be continued...**

  



	12. Part Eleven

**Waves Upon the Sand**

  
  
  
  


The light changes gradually as you swim down, leaving the choppiness of the surface far behind. Sometimes, when you're getting close enough to the depths, the water will alight with molten heat, giant finger furrows on the very bottom allowing magma to push up through the thin spots. From a distance these spots glow like the fire of a far off watery furnace, or torches winking up at you from the darkness. 

There was a time when Jyou's youngest brother would have been apprehensive about swimming past so many of those lights, each one a marker of his distance from home. Now he was so used to them that he no longer paid them any mind, like a preoccupied wanderer vaguely noting the lights of a town from across a lake. 

Jyou's sudden disappearance had been more detrimental to his family than he would have ever considered possible. In the first moments when he was discovered missing, his whole family had poured over his recent actions, trying to figure out what might have happened. Self recrimination swam through blanketing silence--what had had one of them done to drive him off?--until Jyou's youngest sister had calmly announced that their brother was up on the surface. How she had come to that conclusion she couldn't quite articulate, but it was a sad but sure knowledge. 

It was the youngest member of their clan that had reacted hotly, green eyes like twin slices of glowing jade. He had sworn to find his older brother, tail lashing furiously in contrast with his silently serious expression, an outlet for his turbulent emotions. As time had passed, however, grains from his mountain of hope had washed away...until he had caught a familiar slash of dark hair as he swam through his ever widening patrol near the surface. 

*** 

"You wanted to talk to us, Little One?" One of his many older brothers prompted. They all had gathered around him in an oft neglected part of their undersea home. Pillars were strewn about like some child's plaything, their phosphorus glow faint compared to the brightness of the rest of the palace. Fish had made their own home in the dark nooks and crannies that the toppled buildings provided. 

Legend had it that a fearsome earthquake had decimated this level of the kingdom many generations previous, and that was enough to keep most other denizens from venturing close, but it didn't matter to Jyou's family. This was their place; when someone requested a gathering, the unspoken words were that this would be the meeting place. 

"I found our older brother." The words were quiet, one had to strain to hear them before some wayward current captured them and whisked them out of range. No outpouring of questions followed the stunned pause. 

"Is he..." Jyou's oldest sister finally whispered, leaning against what might have been the remains of a wall for support. She had pulled her long lavender hair locks back; the beautiful hair had recently grown snarled from only the most cursory attention as of late. 

"He still swims." The youngest boy replied to the unspoken question. "But...when I...he had...he had _legs_!" He finally managed to choke out. 

"Impossible! Are you sure it was him?!" The words had left one of his brother's mouth--the one that shared so many of our merboy's physical features, if you were wondering--seemingly of their own accord. 

The younger boy didn't dignify that with a response. To question his ability to recognize his oldest brother was foolish. 

"Why would he have legs? It doesn't make any sort of logical sense..." Another one asked, already musing and inspecting his own question in his mind. "The only use they have is on the land...and why would our brother want to spend any time there?" 

"Could he have been captured by humans?" The second oldest brother of the group--so often their leader when it came to adventurous escapades--voiced. It went against everything their careful and pragmatic older brother, but it was an explanation that at least made a little bit of sense. "Maybe they cast a spell on him!" The words were angry with centuries-old hatred turned fresh and pulsing once again at their loss. 

Various other scenarios were supplied, everything from a suicide mission on Jyou's part to kill some of their age old enemies, to an illness that had resulted in his unfortunate condition. Often when one of the other children grew anxious they would swim back and forth as they added their exclamations to the group's, causing any nearby fish to give them a wide berth lest one of their number suddenly be turned into a quick bite to eat. 

"I think if we want to find out why our eldest brother has legs, we must first discover how he obtained them in the first place..." The young mergirl's voice caught their attention, and an instantaneous silence stole over the group. 

There was no need for one of them to give voice to what they were all thinking. 

_The sea-witch..._

*** 

"Are you concerned about leaving the kingdom in Yamato's care?" Queen Tachikawa asked politely, lowering the delicate china teacup from her lips gracefully. 

The two royal families had met for tea in a lavish room adjacent to the royal bedchambers. Previously the room had been Yamato and Takeru's nursery, but as the two had grown it had been converted into a private office of sorts. To make the room a bit cozier, wood paneling had been added; it was quite unique when one compared it to the other rooms of the palace. There was warm sheen that the wood gave off in the buttery sunlight, creating an air of comfort so thick you could almost cup it in the palm of your hand. It was a place that afforded the king and queen total privacy when they might need an escape. 

King Ishida stood to stoke the fire--a task that would have never been allowed of him had there been servants in the room with them. 

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little concerned," Queen Ishida admitted as her husband reseated himself. "But more over leaving Yamato and Takeru alone than over Yamato's administrative capabilities." 

This would be the first time they had left for the High Council without the queen's mother staying behind to keep things in order. Her sudden loss had been felt by the whole nation; she had been quite a lady, strong and capable to the very end. 

"Yamato has always shown interest in the kingdom's affairs." King Ishida added. It was true, even when Yamato had been small, he had loved sitting in at conferences. It had not been out of the ordinary for the king to call for a short recess when meetings dragged on late into the night, in order to gather the sleeping boy into his arms and take him to bed. 

King Ishida's pride couldn't have been any greater when Takeru took after his brother and began to sit in on committees as well. Both boys were sharp--though Yamato was better at seeing long term effects of certain issues, while Takeru seemed to have an uncanny sense of how the public would react to things--and could be surprising when it came to their insight into situations that came up. He had no doubt in their abilities. 

The talk was shifting slightly, however. King Tachikawa was asking about recent tension between the Ishida kingdom and their neighbors to the north. 

Actually, it was one of the things King Ishida had planned on bringing to the Council's attention. Lately a dispute had arisen over land owned by the Ishida kingdom. The other country had said they had unearthed treaties giving them claim to part of the western area of the Ishida land, a prime part of the coast that the landlocked country above so coveted. 

Much of the Ishida fortune came from their harbors, so perfect for shipping and importing goods. They made quite an attractive target until one realized that the Ishida nation was also renown for its defensive capabilities--it had managed to keep its shape, more or less, in times when whole countries might be wiped from the fact of the continent and borders were known to change in a matter of days. 

King Ishida explained that negotiations were in progress, and, as their scholars dug through the Ishida vaults, promising. It would not be the first time some other nation had tried to seize control of Ishida land in such a manner, and they were well prepared. 

The other king nodded, curiosity sated. 

Conversation shifted back to more innocuous subjects, such as their children, a safe refuge from the pressures of politics, at least for a few hours. The topic of Yamato's unwed status was delicately avoided like a sore bruise that was just starting to heal. Instead, Queen Ishida thanked the other two leaders for bringing their daughter, exclaiming that it was nice to have another lady in the castle and that she was sure that Mimi was a good influence on her two boys. 

*** 

"Mimi!" Takeru called after the laughing girl as she ducked down a hallway, nearly skidding a couple of times as the hem of her dress caught under her feet. "You dropped your shoe! If we're going to race properly, then you can't always be dropping things..." 

The guards at the end of the corridor managed, with great difficulty, to keep from chuckling at the younger boy's outraged expression. 

"It's because you're not a gentleman!" Mimi called back as she walked towards the prince, bare feet making a light padding sound of the cold stone. 

"What are you talking about?" Takeru offered the princess back her wayward item of footwear as she drew near, panting lightly for breath. She tucked a few loose tendrils of her chestnut hair behind her ears and tried to smooth some of the wrinkles from her dress before she continued, trying to regain some semblance of royal dignity. 

"You don't understand that you're supposed to always let the lady win!" She explained. "It's chivalrous." 

"It's the first time I've ever heard of something like that..." Takeru puzzled. "Don't you think you could win without cheating?" 

"It's not cheating, it's chivalry." Mimi admonished, sweet voice echoing down the halls. "Besides, you're missing the point. I wouldn't have to cheat if you would just do what you're supposed to..." 

"But," Takeru played his trump card. "I'm younger than you. Aren't you supposed to let _me_ win?" 

This gave Mimi pause and she considered, slender hand resting on her cheek as she mused upon the idea. "I don't think it matters." She finally ventured. "After all, you're still a male." 

"I suppose I could let you win from now on." Takeru said, trying to placate the older girl. "I just don't think it would be as much fun to know you're always going to be the victor." 

Mimi was strangely silent at his words, and the distant expression still hadn't left her eyes. It was as though she was traveling down a path never taken before in her thoughts. Eventually she blinked and managed a smile, turning to Takeru apologetically and changing the subject. "I saw an interesting room at the end of the hallway, would you care to show it to me?" 

*** 

"This is our royal library!" Takeru exclaimed proudly, knowing that it was a truly impressive sight. Though he was not as well traveled as some, he had heard from his more worldly brother that all the other libraries he had seen were dwarfed by their own. 

Immense bookcases crawled up the walls, gleaming with a proudly healthy, wooden sheen. Moveable ladders lay at rest where the previous occupants had left them, and ingenious wheel design allowing them to be pulled along in either direction of the shelves. Couches and tables were spread with impunity near paintings depicting the surrounding countryside. 

It was a place where time had no power; the cathedral like silence spread thick throughout the entire wing. Light streaming through impossibly tall windows made patterns on the thick carpeting. The two children finally ended their haphazard tour on one of the couches, small voices swallowed whole by the quiet atmosphere. 

"Are all of these books different?" Mimi asked, eyes wandering around appreciatively. 

"Yes." Takeru answered. 

"It seems impossible...It's hard to believe that there could be that many stories in the world. Can you read them?" 

"Yes, I can." Takeru replied, trying not to let any overt pride to escape from his tone. Mimi regarded him with new respect. Reading was regardless as a useless skill for a true lady, and therefore few were taught how. 

"Can you read me one?" She asked, settling back more comfortably on the couch. 

*** 

Now we return to our other prince, once again observing the misunderstanding in progress. 

One must keep in mind what the situation must look like from the prince's perspective. He had turned the corner only to catch the tail end of the conversation--words that might seem threatening to one unused to a rougher form of teasing. With those thoughts already firmly in place, mightn't a conspirital grin be transformed to a licentious smirk? Simple laughter becomes cruel, surprise becomes fear. Thus is a scene remade with the slightest tilt in perspective. 

Both the guards turned at the sound of the prince's voice, the look of surprised scrawled across their faces as obvious as though they had just swallowed live and flopping fish. Jyou's tunic dropped from the blond's limp fingers with a wet smack against the tile. Jyou himself was against the wall paralyzed with shock. He hadn't expected Yamato to ever appear in his personal life; he had assumed that the other boy would never show interest in where he might go after he was out of eyesight. 

"My liege," The blond was speaking. "We weren't doing nothing to--" 

"What are your names?" Like a drip of freezing water from the tip of an icicle. A sense of panic began to well up in the other men's' eyes, to be asked their names could very well mean that they would be reported and lose their jobs. Still, after gulping their fear down, both stood up straight and saluted. 

"Kanda Natsuki, highness!" The brunette exclaimed. 

"Seiki Youji, highness!" Came from the blond a few seconds later. 

"What were you doing to Jyou?!" The prince demanded once again. 

"Doing...?" Youji echoed, at a loss. Natsuki was the first to finally grasp the prince's meaning, cerulean eyes widening. 

"No!" He tried to explain. "It's not what you're thinking! We just wanted to--" 

Yamato's sharp gaze cut cleanly through his sentence like a finely honed knife through cheese, causing the older guard to lapse into silence once again. Jyou himself watched the scene with rapidly expanding nervousness. For the life of him he couldn't understand why the prince seemed so enraged, but as Youji began to began to protest their innocence once more, he was afraid of what Yamato's response might be. 

Yamato opened his mouth. "Gather your things. You two are dis--" 

Jyou lunged forward in one clumsy movement, slamming into the prince ungracefully before his hand managed to cover Yamato's mouth. 

Maybe if he could stop the words, it wouldn't happen. 

It was Yamato's turn for his eyes to widen as Jyou shook his head pleadingly. 

_He...wanted it?___

The thought stung like saltwater on a freshly opened wound, a bitter reminder that they moved in completely different circles. Yamato couldn't understand why the thought of Jyou with these two men upset him so much, but he could feel his temper reaching an explosive peak. 

"Forget it." He said sharply, rolling Jyou off of him brusquely and picking himself up from his sprawling position. He dusted his pants off in quick angry movements. "Do what you will. It's of no concern to me." 

As he stalked away, pointedly ignoring the nervous stares following his every movement, he attempted to label his turbulent feelings. Only one thought surfaced again and again. 

_It was_ not _jealousy. It was _not. _I am _not _jealous._   
__   
__   
  
  


**End of Part Eleven**   
**To be continued...**


	13. Part Twelve

**Waves Upon the Sand**

  
  
  
  
  


After a few moments to collect their brutally scattered wits, the two guards went to go help the merboy off the ground. Natsuki absentmindedly began to pull down the younger boy's sopping breeches, while the other man helped him into the larger tunic. It hung on Jyou loosely like a nightshirt, sleeves extending past his hands until the appendages resembled a pair of cloth covered octopus tentacles. 

Now that the danger was past, both guards allowed a grin to grace their countenances. 

"Y'know," The blond remarked cheerfully. "Rather than helping you, we should probably be throwin' you in the brig. You did assault the prince, after all!" 

Rather than smiling at the affectionate jab, Jyou looked stricken as he remembered the look on the young royal's face. 

_He hates me now..._ It was surprising how resigned he was to the thought. 

Natsuki elbowed his friend roughly in the ribs, causing Youji to wince and toss the taller man a death glare. 

"Stop teasing him and go get your girlfriend." 

Youji did as requested, disappearing down into the dark stairwell after entrusting his spear to his fellow guardsman. The brunette guard looked apologetically at the younger boy once his friend was gone. 

"Don't worry too much about it, Jyou." He said in an attempt at comfort. "The prince will probably forget all about it." 

"Anyway," He continued after a short pause, allowing the merboy time to digest his previous words. "We both owe you our thanks. If I had been dismissed, the only place for me would have been the mines..." Natsuki crossed his arms over his bare chest, shivering slightly in a fainter echo of Jyou's more obvious chilled movements. It was hard to tell whether it was from the thought itself or the sudden draft whispering through the marble arches. 

A few moments later, Youji reappeared, all but dragging a serving maid and her precious cargo of dry clothing. Her fine, honey colored hair was cropped surprisingly close--like a boy's as a matter of fact--but the elfishly delicate features of her face and build gave her gender away in the end. Right now her eyes were flashing hot with irritation, and as soon as they reached the top of the stairs she turned to her captor abruptly. 

"You idiot!" Were the first words out of her mouth. "If you wanted a pair of breeches and a tunic so badly, you could have gotten them yourself! I refuse to be dragged into your typical idiotic brand of mischief." 

"C'mon Haru." Youji wheedled. "It's not mischief, it's for a good cause." 

Haru looked as though she was inclined to disagree, but then she caught sight of Jyou. Her demeanor changed as she took in the picture of the younger boy lost in the oversized shirt, and a slightly amused half smile graced her features. 

"Now what on earth were you two doing to poor Jyou? Keelhauling him?" She asked, trying to keep the anger in her voice and failing. The nautical slang gave credence to the the opinion that she hailed from one of the port cities. It never ceased to amaze Jyou how many different people made up the fabric of humankind in general, or how far they would travel to congregate. 

Haru unfolded the bundle of clothes with a quick motion that bespoke of much practice., dragging both Ntsuki and Youji away to allow the other boy a bit of rare privacy. Once Jyou was fully dressed--he noticed that the clothes he'd been given weren't much smaller than the tunic he had been wearing previously, and that the fabric was of a finer weave than he was accustumed--Haru gathered his filthy clothes and left quickly with an excuse of pressing work to do before dinner, but not before reminding Youji sharply that "he owed her one". 

"I thought you said she was sweet on you." Natsuki had the presence of mind to finally remark to his friend after whirlwind Haru was a safe distance away. 

"She _is_," The blonde insisted with the faintest hint of a smirk. "She just doesn't know it yet." 

*** 

"I can't believe it. The almighty Shin, slacking off at his duties?" Shuu teased mercilessly as he assisted his brother in making a few extra poultices and remedies for the trip. Hopefully they wouldn't be needed. "You haven't already chosen the lucky cup bearer?" 

"Yes, well," Shin began tersely, stress making him a little less inclined to allow his brother his teasing jabs. "It wasn't exactly on the forefront of my mind. After all, it'll only be the princes here for a while. I don't think they would even notice if I sent the local pig keeper fresh from the job in with their wine. You've already chosen yours for the duration of the trip?" 

It was tradition in the Ishida kingdom for the royal family to unwind at the end of the day with a goblet of wine. Needless to say, while this afforded an extra opportunity for those that might wish the family ill, all precautions were taken when it came to those particular night caps. All wine was carefully gone over with a unicorn horn that had been in the family for generations. Actually, regarding the "unicorn horn", Jyou was not only amused upon seeing this "legendary item" for the first time, but he also correctly identified it as not belonging to any sort of goat or horse, but to a narwhal. Not only was the horn brought into play--it is true that the narwhal horn has some poison detecting properties--but the cup bearer was also expected to check the drink for poison firsthand by tasting it. 

This was one of Shuu's many duties while acting as assistant to his brother. It was a dangerous job, but not nearly as much as it might have been. The Ishida kingdom was prosperous, and enemies to the royal family were far and few in-between. Not to mention, though Shuu had no wish to die by poisoning, most poisons could only be detected through such a small gulp...the likelihood of him actually dying from a sip was not high. 

Since, however, Shuu was going along with the entourage to handle the cooking for the traveling party, he had chosen his own assistant to take care of the king and queen's needs while they were on the road, and was obviously expecting his older brother to do the same for the two remaining princes at home. 

"Why not use Jyou?" Shuu finally asked as he noticed the wheels in his older brother's head turning, considering and rejecting scores of people. "Takeru seems awfully fond of him, and if he trusts him..." 

"He doesn't have any training." Shin responded before gathering up the last few remaining bandages and packaging them into a neat bundle. 

"It's only for a few months." Shuu insisted, liking the idea more and more. "Besides, you know that I'm taking the only other person with any sort of training for the task with me on the trip." 

"Jun, huh? Somehow I'm not surprised." There was a knowing tone to his older brother's voice that caused Shuu to redden like an embarrassed twelve year old. Thankfully, Shin kept his thoughts to himself and didn't follow up the initial probe into one of Shuu's weak points. "Well, if Jyou doesn't mind risking his life in order to coddle a couple of princes, then I suppose I don't either." Coming from anyone else, the tone might have been bitter, but from Shin there was only a subtle undercurrent of intelligent and affectionate amusement. 

"I'll go dig him out." Shuu anticipated Shin's request and was out the door before Shin even opened his mouth. 

*** 

"Was that the prince that just went rushing by?" Jun asked, trying to peer over Ryo's shoulder from where he was blocking her view of the hallway. Her question naturally attracted the attention of the stable boy, and he attempted to crane his head around to look for himself, only to end up with a irritated swat on his knee with measuring stick for his pains. 

"Quit squirming." The tailor said, painful threats lingering in his tone of voice. Sure, perhaps he could only request that royalty hold themselves still for his efforts, but he had a bit more power over the likes of stable boys. Usually he wouldn't have been so irritable, but he had been measuring sweaty, dirty and fidgeting bodies for most of the day without even stopping for a bite of lunch. 

Jun's giggling wasn't helping any, Ryo reflected, resisting the urge to throw the pin cushion at her, or stick his tongue out in her general direction. Her chuckles ceased when the wrathful tailor fixed her with a sour look, and she lapsed into a nearly respectful silence. The effect was slightly marred by the face she made at the crotchety older man as soon as his back was turned once again. 

"He seemed awfully upset." She said, drawing closer to where Ryo was standing. "Have any idea what it could be about?" Ryo was about to censure her for being such a gossip, but then he noted that she seemed more worried than excited. 

"I have no idea." He said around the pins in his mouth. "It's could be anything...Yamato--err, Prince Yamato has always been rather irritable." If the tailor was wondering how a mere stable boy could speak with such sure knowledge about the crown prince, he did a good job of hiding it as he continued making his measurements. 

"I wonder if something went wrong on the picnic..." She mused, half to herself, moving to take some of the needles from the other boy's mouth and give them to the beckoning man holding a bolt of fabric to Ryo's leg. 

"Picnic?" Ryo parroted, now that his mouth was free of obstacles. 

"Prince Takeru came down to the kitchens this morning and requested a picnic lunch. The weird thing was that he also wanted a kitchen boy to accompany them as a guest." Jun explained, stopping only to glare at some older women as they bumped into her and went along their way without apologizing. 

"Let me guess, was the kitchen boy in question Jyou?" Ryo asked, unconsciously trying to move closer to the girl and getting another sharp rap on a tender portion of his arm in exchange. 

"How did you know?" Jun asked, genuinely surprised. The kitchen and the grounds had their own spheres of gossip that only rarely coincided. 

"I caught our younger prince sneaking down to his chambers the night before last. I suppose they're starting younger and younger these days..." Ryo explained, overriding the urge to shake his head for emphasis. 

"I don't think it's _that_." Jun was doubtful, trying to reconcile the thought of the younger boy and the lankier kitchen boy together. "I would have heard something from Takato." 

"Who is Takato?" Ryo asked, now fully forgetting that he was in a public place. The told him that the measurements were finished, and Ryo gratefully climbed down from his perch on the footstool, motioning to Jun to follow him out into the narrow hallway. "I know a place where we can talk without being interrupted." 

"Where?" Jun queried simply, looking torn. Obviously she wanted to continue the exchange of information, but Ryo was willing to be the that kitchen held a certain allure as well. 

"You'll see." Ryo insisted, stretching out the kinks in his longer frame by moving at a quick pace down the corridor. 

*** 

"You two shadows will have to wait outside." Shin said drolly. "I need to speak to Jyou alone." 

The two guards exchanged nervous glances, but in the end took sentry-like positions along either side of the door. Shin sighed, filing their odd behavior away for future reference, that way he'd have some inkling when something was about to go wrong involving those two. Shuu took his previous position making bundles of the herbs and spices both brothers had gathered months beforehand. He stopped for a brief moment, inspecting Jyou closely, before the corners of his mouth turned up in a wide grin. The younger of the two brothers seemed strangely hard pressed to keep from laughing about something. Shin almost questioned him about what he found so amusing, but then just decided to tackle the topic at hand. 

"I wanted to discuss a promotion of sorts with you. And you two meat heads out there can stop acting as though you two were the ones being promoted." Shin added dryly in response to the guards' obvious excitement. Jyou regarded the older man with a questioning gaze. 

"I wanted to talk to you about the position of cup bearer while Shuu is away from the castle. Who knows, perhaps if you show a talent for it, you could take his place entirely. I know he won't exactly shed any tears over the loss." Shin said with Shuu nodding his agreement in the background. 

"No way." Came the response from the halls. "It's too dangerous a job. Get someone else to be the royal's test subject." 

"I don't believe I was offering the post to you two." Shin said, his voice suddenly becoming dangerous. Both the blonde and brunette wisely decided that it would be prudent to keep their mouths shut from that point forward. "It's not entirely without risk." Shin admitted. "But the job isn't really all that unsafe. Yes, your duty would be to make sure the princes' drinks aren't poisoned as well as serve them, but I can take you through the routine myself. And you probably won't even be ingesting enough to, well, kill you. Make you sick, yes, but not stop you cold." 

Jyou considered. After what had happened today, he wasn't admittedly looking forward to facing Yamato again...but, it wouldn't be so bad. It would probably mean less running around on his feet, and he would get to spend more time with Takeru. That would be nice. And he would have to see Yamato sooner or later...best to get the pain done with right now, as opposed to letting it fester and hurt a thousand times worse in the future. 

"What do you say?" Shin asked after it appeared the boy was done weighing the facts in his mind. 

Jyou's answer was a slightly hesitant nod. Shin smiled in response. 

"All right then...why don't you go have some dinner and then call it a night. You've had a long day, after all." 

Jyou moved purposefully towards the kitchen, it was obvious that he was no longer full from lunch, and the idea of a warm bowl of fish soup was extremely inviting. Before the two guards could make a move to follow him, Shuu finally sidled up to his brother and explained what had so tickled his sense of humor a few moments earlier. 

"Hold on you two!" Shin called, causing the two to stop in their tracks with expressions similar to the looks directed at Shin when he caught one of the younger boys trying to sneak a bite of food in the middle of the night. 

"Would either of you two care to explain how Jyou came to be wearing one of my tunics and a pair of Shuu's breeches?" 

*** 

Yamato sighed as the door slid shut behind him, locking with a gentle click. He collapsed into a comfortably stuffed chair, trying to allow the tension to roll from him in waves as he pondered the scenery from his advantage of height. 

The neglected observatory tower was the highest tower in the castle; the small room at the very top had been Yamato's private, and secret, place for as long as he could recall needing a place to call his own. The tower had fallen into bad disrepair over the years--his mother would, no doubt, have been anxious had she been aware of her son's proclivity towards spending any amount of time in it. The room he was currently in, while it had once obviously been luxurious, and long since been forcibly taken over by years of dust. 

Once a man had asked King Ishida why he didn't spend the money to repair the tower to the state of its former glory. The king had replied with a tart remark about how rulers of nations were better off keeping their eyes directed towards their people rather than the heavens, but truth be told, the tower was very badly situated for any sort of celestial observation. It would have been a waste of money to spend any major amount of funds fixing it up. Some scholars privately maintained that its purpose had been less scientific and more military in origin; the telescope had only been added nearly a quarter of a century after the tower was first erected, and while it was a poor spot for star gazing, the tower _did_ show all the roads leading to the castle with surprising clarity. 

"Damn." The prince remarked to the darkness, knowing that had any of the servants heard him there would be a week's worth of gossip in that small word. 

Yamato picked at the decaying velvet of the chair halfheartedly, as though worrying with the cloth would give him the answers he was seeking. He hated not knowing why he felt a certain way, despite the fact that his emotions often seemed to sweep him away regardless of his protestations. Yamato knew he really had no right to feel so...so...proprietary towards the kitchen boy--proprietary wasn't quite the right word, but for the life of him he couldn't come up with a better one--what, or whom, the boy did in his spare time was his own business. 

Seeing him like that, though... 

The boy had displayed a sort of easiness that the prince had never seen him show before when he was around the royals. The was a palatable sense of _belonging_ that had emanated from the other boy, so unlike the stiffness and the way he had held himself at arm's length even when both he and Yamato were along on that tiny island. It seemed as if the mysterious boy had been holding himself in check, a rod of iron replacing his backbone, while out and about that day. The only time he had forgotten himself was in the defense of the other two guards. 

Yamato could only think that the boy was either afraid of the royal family--too nervous to let go like Ryo had--or there was some other more obscure reason for the kitchen boy to be so utterly formal. Like if he didn't do it all the time, he'd forget how... 

Now that was just utter stupidity. 

Yamato let out a noise that had attempted to be a sigh, but turned into a sneeze when he had inadvertently inhaled some of the flying dust. Just because Yamato wanted to see those eyes light up with laughter, or with wonder didn't mean that the other boy was doing anything but his duty. It was _all_ he owed to them, nothing more. Of course, on the wings of that thought came another, more startling realization. 

Before this afternoon, he had always admired the unusual kitchen boy with his mysterious rescuer in the forefront of his mind. But, today...today he had admired Jyou simply for being Jyou. The way he had rolled his eyes, half with a sort of distant affection and half with exasperation, at some of the princess's more...interesting tangents when he thought that nobody was watching. Or the way he took tiny bites of the hart, making the most interesting expressions over its obviously unfamiliar taste.   


For the first time he hadn't been watching Jyou as though he was a memory.   
  
  


**End of Part Twelve**   
**To be continued...**


	14. Part Thirteen

**Waves Upon the Sand**

  
  
  
  


Ryo's eyebrows arched slightly in surprise as he wordlessly beckoned Jun to enter the ever darkening room. The sun was sinking lower and lower, the golden rays covering the room in a buttery half light nearly thick enough to bathe in. Jun followed the long haired boy silently, awestruck by the unfamiliar surroundings. She had been in this wing of the castle before, but never had any of her business involved intimate knowledge of the rooms, especially something like this library. 

"Look." Ryo smiled and motioned to a shadowy place near the center of the library. Jun squinted, trying to make out what had so tickled the other boy's fancy, then mirrored Ryo's expression. Nestled into a corner of an overstuffed couch was the visiting princess, face smooth and sweet in slumber. On the other side of the sofa was the younger of the two Ishida princes, short lags splayed so that one hung down the side of the couch in an utterly relaxed manner. An open book lay haphazardly across his chest, moving up and down with every breath. 

After a few minutes spent in contemplation of the royal children, Ryo finally led the redhead to a more private corner of the enormous room. Ryo was a born explorer--he probably knew the nooks and crannies of the castle even better than its long deceased master mason. The two leaned against the wall in the space left between two bookcases, shadows hiding them from any prying glances that might meander their way. 

"So, you were telling me about someone named Takato?" Ryo prompted. 

"Oh, he's one of the younger kitchen boys." Jun said in way of explanation. "He's really rather shy." 

"Anyway, one day he seemed worried about something, and I managed to drag it out of him. You see, he has a room across from Jyou's, and it seems as though late at night, Jyou has a habit of leaving and not returning until early morning. The poor kid was reluctant to tell me--he didn't want to get anyone in trouble." 

Ryo shrugged. "A lot of the servants sneak out at night. If he's been working in the castle long, he should be used to it by now." 

"_Every_ night?" Jun challenged. Ryo conceded the point with a slow nod of his head. "I told him there was no cause for concern, but to keep me posted on any more really unusual behavior. So far there's been nothing." 

Ryo nodded his head once again in silent reply. It made sense. After all, in such close quarters, it was nearly impossible to keep secrets. Even Ryo had relied on other boys from the stables to keep his secret--though they had though he was going off to meet one of the maids--and in return he kept quiet about their own indiscretions. It wasn't impossible that something similar could be the explanation for Jyou's nocturnal excursions, but it was unlikely that it would happen every night. 

"Anyway, it's getting close to dinner, and I'll be expected to help out. I'll have to talk to you later." Jun finally said. 

"Yeah, I still have clean up duties to finish myself." Ryo admitted. "Maybe I'll grab a bite before I go back to it." 

*** 

Jyou gazed down into his bowl, for some reason this smell, usually so tantalizing, was making his stomach lurch up and down like a merchild in a particularly rough current. Pushing his bowl away, he sighed. It was useless, there was no point in just staring at his food if he wasn't going to eat it. Not to mention the slurping sounds around him were beginning to make him feel even more nauseous. 

The kitchen was always loud at this time of night, with the kitchen boys and servants eating with their mouths full as they raucously talked about what had gone on with their day. Guards came in from their shifts and collapsed on a bench before shoving their way to the head of the line to receive their hard-earned dinner. Sometimes they were so hungry that they didn't even bother to find a spot to sit down, they just stood and shoveled the food into their mouth as fast as they could, then lingered around for a suitable amount of time until Shuu would take pity on them and sneak them seconds--or sometimes even thirds. 

Thanking the gods that he didn't have clean up duty, he stumbled back to his room, barely making it to his pallet before collapsing. 

*** 

"Damn, I don't know how you can manage to do this every day." Jyou's brunette friend finally said to no one in particular, leaning on his shovel and wiping the sweat from his brow. Shin didn't mess around when it came to handing out punishments. Stable duty was about as disgusting a task as Natsuki could think of, and probably smellier than most. 

The Ishida stables were large, and as ornate as the rest of the magnificent castle. The royal horses lived in more opulence than some of the poorer members of society, with the cleanliness and roominess of most of the stalls. Not to mention, each horse had at least two boys to look after its well-being. 

"It helps if you're not constantly complaining." Ryo tartly remarked. He hadn't even had time to finish his bowl of soup before the stablemaster had come looking for him, practically spitting fire and brimstone over his long absent employee. With yells of "If you're going to stay, then you better work!" he had all but dragged the younger boy out of the kitchen. 

"Hey, at least you got something to eat. We'll be lucky to scrape the bottom of the pan once we're finished." Natsuki shot back. Ryo opened his mouth to make another comment, then shut it. There was no point. At least they were actually working, unlike some of the slackers that were punished in this matter. 

"Doesn't Prince Yamato have his riding lesson about this time?" A smaller boy wondered out loud, now that the silence had been broken. 

"Yeah, I was wondering about that myself..." One of the older boys replied. 

"Probably ran off again. I heard he was acting funny this afternoon. He was heard yelling at someone down in the courtyard, and then rushed out of there like a streak of lighting." 

"Actually...that was us." Youji admitted with a slight shake of his head. "Thought we was abusing a friend of ours. Guess the prince is fond of him or somethin'." 

"No wonder you guys are cleaning up horse shit with us tonight!" The second boy laughed. "I was wondering about our illustrious company!" 

Natsuki snorted. "I wouldn't call a member of the guards illustrious. Sometimes I think we're not much above the rats when it comes to the palace haeirachy." 

"Hmmm, didn't know the prince had a pet servant in particular." Yet another boy piped up. "Was it one of the higher servants?" 

"That's the funny thing. He's just a kitchen boy." Natsuki explained. 

"Kitchen boy?!" Now Ryo's attention had been caught. He'd be willing to bet money that this boy was Jyou. This boy was shaping up to be a living enigma; what was his relationship with the older of the two princes anyway?! 

"You deaf? That's what he said." Youji replied. 

"Hey, everyone! There's some commotion going on at the gate...looks like a messenger!" Work was forgotten as all the boys, and guards, came running to see what was happening. Sure enough, it looked as though a man in traveling clothes was arguing with the guardsman at the gate, angry sounds being carried on the evening breeze to where the lot of them were huddled. 

*** 

Yamato awoke with a start, unfamiliar surroundings throwing him into a bit of a panic before he realized where he was. He sighed and tried to calm down the rapid pounding of his heart as it tried to dance its way out of his chest. He was in the tower, he had just fallen asleep, that was all. Nothing to be alarmed about. That afternoon swim must have taken more out of him than he'd thought, he admitted as he tried to stretch out the crick in his neck. 

After doing what he could to dust off his dirt-stained clothing, he began the trek down to earth. Grumpily, and guiltily, he wondered if they had sent a search party out for him yet. If luck was with him, they wouldn't have even noticed his absence, and he'd be able to sneak into his room unaccosted and call a servant to help him change out of his filthy clothing. Alright, so maybe sitting in a dusty, dirty room for hours on end wasn't the height of intelligence. On top of all that, his stomach was growling like an irked wildcat. 

Ignoring his hunger pains, he found his thoughts returning to the kitchen boy. The prince found himself wondering what he was doing. Was he with those two guards, enjoying the uncommonly cool breeze this evening? Had he already retired for the night? Was he in the kitchen, eating his dinner? What did the servants have for dinner? Potatoes? Fish? Something inexpensive, but most likely filling and nourishing. He'd imagine that anything Shin made would taste good. Okay, so perhaps food wasn't as far from his mind as he thought, Yamato found himself chuckling. First his clothes, and then he could have a plate from the kitchen sent up. 

For the briefest of moments, he considered calling Jyou up to his chambers to help him. And then afterwards, he could order him to stay with him while he ate. They could talk--well, Yamato could talk to him at least. Who knew, maybe he'd share and garner a reaction like this afternoon's when Jyou was trying delicacies his palate was obviously unused to. He had never shared his dinner with a-- 

Yamato grit his teeth hard enough to make his head hurt. What on earth was he thinking?! Had he completely forgotten what had happened this afternoon? A kitchen boy certainly didn't need to spend any time with a prince--it was reserved for upper servants to help him undress and bring him dinner. And besides, what could they possibly have in common? What would be the point of inviting someone that served him to sit in his room and pretend...pretend they were friends. Pretend they could actually understand one another. He hadn't even invited Ryo to spend time with him in his chambers; were his wits so addled that he thought a nearly complete stranger wouldn't be uncomfortable dining with a prince? 

*** 

Jyou's youngest sister let out a hiss of pain as she scraped her slender arm against a outcropping of rock hidden in the dark water. His youngest brother looked on in concern before voicing a hesitant "Are you all right?". Something about this place's atmosphere tended to dampen all but the most necessary of conversation. It was hard to make out in their black surroundings, but she nodded her head slightly in reply. 

The younger of the two wished he had something to wrap around the arm. If it was bleeding, there was a very good chance that the smell would alert sharks to their area. Even the bravest of merpeople were known to swim away as fast as they could at the fearsome sight of a feeding frenzy, and it was hard to count how many had lost their lives in that manner. Similar thoughts were running through the girl's head, and she sped up her pace, sharp eyes looking for _it_, as the rest of their siblings were at this very moment. Legends put the sea witch's abode in many different places, all fraught with danger. Only their second eldest brother was on his own--the rest of the siblings were in groups of two, each searching for the ethereal cave of myth. 

The young mergirl blinked, the pain in her arm forgotten. If she wasn't mistaken, there was a pinprick of light in that area. Whispering to her brother sharply, both sped off in the direction in which she pointed. 

The entrance to the cave was well guarded, like a silent predator, one would hardly know they were upon it until the mouth loomed in front of them, the light in the back dancing in a dangerously tantalizing manner. Both of the merchildren stopped short at the opening. As a general rule, young merpeople tended to avoid closed in places. It was a safety lesson so constantly drilled into their heads that it often took years to overcome the vague sense of fear they got when they felt boxed in. 

The older of the two finally gathered up enough courage to swim inside, calling to her youngest brother as he hesitated outside. Screwing his eyes closed, he swam quickly into the gigantic maw, nearly bumping into one of the sides in his haste. Both kept their eyes on the floor, not wanting to lose what little strength they had left upon the knowledge that the tunnel was getting more narrow. The thick mat of plants waved to and fro in a non-exisiting current, moving in ways that no normal seaplant would. Still, they all seemed to shirk from the young girl's presence, choosing to instead to try and catch on her brother's tail or arm. 

When the first one got a grip, the boy let out a whimper of panic, thrashing violently in an unconscious mirror of his oldest brother some months beforehand. This time their prey was not quite as large, and inexorably they drew him closer to the bottom. Now the younger of the two really did squirm in earnest as he caught sight of the bones of fish half buried in the sandy bottom. Seeing what was happening, the mergirl rushed to her brother's defense, the plants relinquishing their grip easily once she touched them. He stayed close to her after that, like a small living shadow, murmuring his fear as the plants seemed to draw closer to him than her. 

Eventually they made it to the center, the soft light showing just how drawn and pale their faces were, fear scrawled across them. Eventually their nervousness gave way to wonder, rooting them to the spot even more effectively than their terror. The half light seemed to sparkle like stars at the very top of the massive cave, while up close they could see the outside as though lit by its own private moon. Fish swam peacefully in and out of a coral garden nearby, oblivious to their audience of two. To their surprise, they saw the familiar form of a merperson swim across their view, darting out and catching fish with a traditional hunting spear. His bound hair danced though the water in a graceful motion, chestnut locks eventually coming to rest across broad shoulders as he inspected the fruit of his labor. Tearing off a bite of meat from the highest on, he swam away to a point they could not see. 

Out of the shadows, in a place they hadn't even noticed, he appeared once again. As he caught sight of his young visitors, his expression was just as surprised as their own. 

"How did you get in without agitating the plants?" Gennai wondered aloud at his two guests. It had been a long time since someone had caught him by surprise in his own lair. Usually when he had visitors, he could tell by the way the plants at the exit responded. There had been a reaction earlier, but since it had been calmed so quickly, he had just assumed some hapless fish had wandered in and was now a forgotten meal. 

"They didn't seem to like me." The girl admitted. "They wouldn't even come close." 

"No, they have quite a voracious appetite, though a full grown merperson should have no trouble with them--" At that he glanced at the young boy thoughtfully, and with a bit of warning in his gaze. "If they didn't attack you, that means they respect you." He did not mention that he was the only one living that commanded such respect from them. Before the short haired mergirl could respond, however, the older man was already sighing. "Children your age should not be here. Go home to your parents." He then turned back to the table in the very center of the cave, cleaning his fish with a short knife made from the outermost edge of some type of seashell. 

"We apologize." The boy piped up, sounding polite beyond his years. "We thought this was the cave of the sea-witch. We didn't mean to intrude upon your hospitality and your home." 

"And why would you be needing the services of the sea-witch?" Gennai asked with an edge to his voice. "You're too young for love potions and beauty trinkets, and even magic cannot perform miracles--such as bringing loved ones back from the grave. Well, rather it can, but you would not be pleased with the results." A dark cross between a grimace and a bitter grin crossed his face. 

"Is she in the area?" The girl insisted. "Could you at least tell us where we could find her?" 

"I am the sea-witch." Came the short reply. "And as I've already explained, this is no place for children your age." 

"But...but..." The girl swam a pace back, before inspecting the merman closely. "You're a man! The sea-witch is supposed to be an ancient, old merwoman, _everyone_ says so." She paused for a moment, as her brother mirrored her suspicious gaze. "You _are_ a man, aren't you?" 

For the first time since they came, the older man seemed close to laughter, seemingly almost against his will, his expression grew softer. There was almost a hint of a nearly forgotten smile around his lips. 

"Yes, I am a man." His tone of voice was almost gentle. "And about three generations ago, you would be correct; the sea-witch _was_ a wizened old woman. I'm afraid both she and I are just one of the many predecessors to the original. I'm not the first male sea-witch, you know. The lineage goes back to when the world was young, so we've had nearly every kind you could imagine, and then some." 

"If you really are the sea-witch...what happened to our older brother!?" The cry rang out from the boy, mournful and choked. At the question, the good humor quietly died in Gennai's eyes. 

"He made a choice. I merely helped him along with it." His level strokes with the knife turned suddenly choppy--the only thing giving evidence to the tension he felt. "Your brother was foolish; he mistook infatuation for love, and, like most infatuated, he refused to listen to his common sense." 

"What does love have to do with him turning into a human?" The girl asked, quietly. Her expression spoke of knowledge, yet she still waited for Gennai's reply. 

"On a trip to the surface, a human caught his eye. Surely you two must have noticed the change. Finally he made his way to me, and I gave him what he thought he wanted. Now it's up to him to make it into something worth giving up his life for." 

"His life?!" This was obviously effecting the youngest merboy deeply, judging from the way his tail was twitching frantically, and his hands were balled up until his nails gounged deep crecents into the skin. 

"Merpeople are different from humans. Even if they have legs and outwardly resemble them, they still are a merperson inside. Changing into a human form is akin to cutting a bouquet of flowers and putting them into a vase. He will die soon, and there is nothing that can be done. By human standards he might reach early adulthood, but it's still less than a decade. Most likely around five years, if he's strong. A matter of months if he's weak." 

Both of the children shook their head in confusion, the example of cut flowers lost on them. Everyone knew that it was easier to leave seaflowers in their own areas--why would anyone want to cut them? What on earth was a vase? Did it eat the flowers or something? Still, one thing was certain. Their older brother was going to die soon. Five years wasn't even a breath of water in the average lifespan of a merperson! 

"There has to be something..." The boy sounded close to tears. 

"There is always a way." Gennai admitted. "Though, most of the time, the cure is more painful than the problem. There is a way to reverse the process, and if done in time, he will suffer no ill effects. But I have spoken to your brother, and he is not the type to take advantage of it. That is to his credit." 

"You have done it, haven't you? That's how you know." The words were soft, barely above a whisper. 

Composure forgotten, Gennai turned abruptly to the two children. Both shrank back at his gaze--it was as cold as a glacier from the Northern Ocean. 

"I am going to tell you a story, one that you have probably never heard before. Then you can decide if your brother is the type to save himself. Afterwards, if you are still willing, I will do all in my power to help you--for a price. Then it will be in your hands." The words were chips of ice, edges finely honed like a knife. 

"Once upon a time..."   
  
  


**End of Part Thirteen**   
**To be continued...**


End file.
